'^'ikhiwU^lLU^¥Ji?y7i^]!<mP^^ 


SOCIAL  coNsa: 


HOMO€RACY 

VERSUS 


ADAM  ABE:f 


SOCIAL 
CONSCIENCE 

OR 

HOMOCRACY 

VERSUS 

MONOCRACY 

IN 

STORY,  VERSE  and  ESSAY 

BY 

ADAM  ABET 


■i? 


1920 
CO-OPERATIVE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

INCORPORATED 

BRIDGEPORT,  CONN. 


Copyright,  1920,  by  Co-Operative  Publishing  Company,  Inc. 
Bridgeport,  Conn. 


Printed  by  Publishers  Printing  Co. 

New  York,  U.S.A. 


DEDICATED 

TO  LOVERS  OF  SINCERITY  EVERYWHERE  IN 
THE  CAUSE  OF  HUMANE  PROGRESS. 


FOREWORD 

The  reading  of  this  book  may  well  be  commenced 
in  the  middle  or  toward  the  end — as  its  several  parts 
are  separate  compositions.  They  were  written  at 
various  intervals  and  present  different  topics  in 
divers  keys  and  forms.  Hence,  each  part — so  to 
speak — craves  for  a  hearing  or  a  reading  of  its  own. 

Unity  in  the  work,  however,  is  not  entirely  lack- 
ing. There  are  connecting  strains  throughout,  close- 
twilled  cord  and  loose-flying  tassel  of  ideas  and 
ideals,  all  running  into  one  pattern;  even  as  all 
sprung  from  the  selfsame  social  conscience.  This 
accounts  for  the  primary  title  of  the  volume.  The 
secondary  title  is  clearly  postulated  in  Part  Six  and 
Part  Eight.  But,  for  reasons  already  stated,  it  is 
not  necessary  to  read  these  first. 

Esteemed  reader,  you  may  safely  and  justly  turn 
to  the  division  which  by  its  superscription,  mould  or 
subject-matter  most  attracts  your  interest. 


CONTENTS 


PART    ONE 


THE     PROBLEM    OF     HOPE 


A  Short  Novel  Containing  Little  Fiction,  Much  Truth 
and  Some  Philosophy 

PAGE 

I.  A  Spray  From  the  Sea  of  Enmities.  ...  3 

II.     A  City  and  More  in  Danger 6 

III.     The  Soleamancer    8 

IV.  How  Love  Laughs  at  the  Locksmith.  .  .  10 

V.     Intra-national   War    Maps    13 

VI.     Split  Between  Generals    16 

VII.     Indirect   Action    20 

VIII.     Mischief  Bred  Mischief  Breeder 24 

IX.     Board   of    Censorship    26 

X.     Temptation  Abroad    29 

XL     Soleascope  or  Divination  by  Shoes 33 

XII.     Events  in  the  Moulding   37 

XIII.     Unlooked-for  Ambition 41 

XIV.     The  Victim  of  Battle    43 

XV.     Tangle  of  Nationalities   46 

XVI.     Love  Conquers  Prejudice    60 

XVIL     Sunshine  and  Clouds    63 

XVIII.     A  Source  of  Strength   56 

XIX.     Powers  Against  Power    69 

XX.     Champions   of   Labor — So-called 64 

XXI.  Light  On  and  From  a  Puzzling  Character  68 

XXII.     Ill-will   and   Good   Intention   Meet 75 

XXIII.     Waves  of  a  Mass  Meeting 76 

XXIV.     Lost  and  Found 83 

vii 


VIU 


CONTENTS 


PART   TWO 


BROAD    VIEW 
Sonnets   on  Life,  Love  and  Justice 

PAQH 

I.  For  All  That   89 

11.  Grand  River 89 

III.  Ancestry    90 

IV.  Progress 90 

V.  Power 91 

VI.  Newcomer    91 

VII.  Cause  of  War 92 

VIII.  Plea  to  Posterity 92 

IX.  Americanism   93 

X.  New  Year  Spirit 93 

XI.  Sex  and  Peace   94 

XII.  Call  of  Love    94 

XIII.  Light  of  Love    96 

XIV.  Test  of  Love    96 

XV.  The    Sonnet    96 

XVI.  Her  Temptation 96 

XVII.  His  Temptation   97 

XVIII.  Shakespeare 97 

XIX.  Babel  of  Doctrines    98 

XX.  Polyglot   Philosophy    98 

XXI.  Blame 99 

XXII.  Caste    99 

XXIII.  Hope    100 

XXIV.  Independence    100 

XXV.  Religion   101 

XXVI.  Immortality   101 

XXVIL  Wisdom    102 

XXVIII.  The  Last  Discount   102 

XXIX.  Success 103 


CONTENTS 


IX 


PAGE 

XXX.  Answer  to  All  Queries   103 

XXXI.  First  Cause 104 

XXXII.  Temple  of  Thought 104 

XXXIII.  Wants  of  Life    105 

XXXIV.  Human  Tax    105 

XXXV.  The  War  and  After 106 

XXXVI.  Advance   106 

XXXVII.  Kindness  of  the  Storm 107 

XXXVIII.  Thanksgiving    107 

XXXIX.  Fame— What  For?   108 

XL.  Song  of  the  Library 108 

XLI.  What  is  Truth?    109 

XLII.  Work  and  Art 109 

XLIII.  Literature    110 

XLIV.  Tragedy  of  Greed   110 

XLV.  Penalty  of   Ingratitude    Ill 

XLVI.  Wisdom  Come HI 

XLVII.  Neo-Patriotism    112 

XLVIII.  Well-Being 112 

XLIX.  Destiny  of  Evil   113 

L.  A  Request 113 


PART    THREE 
OMARIA 


An  Appreciation  of   the    Rubaiyat,   Their   Author, 

Omar  Khayyam,  and  His  Translators.  ..  .115-141 


X  CONTENTS 

PART   FOUR 

HUMANE    HUMANITY 
Quatrains  in  the  Style  of  Omar  Khayyam 

PAGE 

I.     Fields  and  Woods    145 

II.     Dialogues 150 

III.     City  Corner 155 

IV.     Within  the  Hub   160 

V.     At  a  Banquet 166 

VI.     Lady   Ship    171 

VII.     Reformers'  Den   176 

VIII.     Hall  of  the  Dead 181 

IX.     Love  and  Hope   186 

X.     Truth  and  Wisdom    192 


PART    FIVE 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  AND  HIS  SEARCH  FOR 
STYLE 

A  Study  of  Expression  Cast  Into  Story  Form.  ...    199 


CONTENTS  xi 


PART    SIX 

CABALS    OF    MONOCRACY 

A  Disclosure  of  the  Means  of  Enslavement  in  Com- 
munications Tapped  From  and  Through  Telepathic 
Connections  or  What  Are  Supposed  to  Be  Such 

PAGE 

Prayer   243 

A    245 

A    1    245 

A   2    247 

A  3    248 

B 251 

B    1    252 

B   2    254 

B   3    255 

C 257 

C    1     258 

C   2    261 

C   3    264 

D    266 

D   1    267 

D  2    269 

D   3    271 

E 273 

E    1    277 

E   2    278 

E   3    280 

F 282 

F    1    284 

F   2    285 

F   3    286 

G    286 


xii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

G   1    290 

G   2    292 

G   3    293 

H    295 

H   I    297 

H  2    300 

H  3    302 

I   303 

I  1    306 

12    308 

I  3   309 


PART   SEVEN 

EAST    AND    WEST 

Sonnets  on  Friendship,  Peace  and  Good  Will 

I.     Easternmost  Friend 317 

II.     Here  and  There    317 

III.  The  Soul's  Choice   318 

IV.  Homology    318 

V.     The  Color  Line   319 

VI.     Intermarriage   319 

VII.     Life's  Net 320 

VIII.     War  in  Forty  Years   320 

IX.     Sword  and  Pen 321 

X.     Rosewreaths    321 

XI.     Test  of  Life 322 

XII.     Warning 322 

XIII.     Cohesion 323 

XIV.     Difference    323 

XV.     Bittersweet    324 


CONTENTS 


Xlll 


PAGE 

XVI.     Responsibility    324 

XVII.     War   and   Life    325 

XVIII.     Saul  Slew  His  Thousands 325 

XIX.     Burden  Sharing   326 

XX.     Applied  Prayer    326 

XXI.     Victim  of  Victims    327 

XXII.     The  Heart  Rebellious   327 

XXIII.     Remember 328 

XXIV.     Consolation    328 

XXV.     A  Day  of  War 329 

XXVI.     Destiny    329 

XXVII.     Through  the  Mill    330 

XXVIII.     The  Cheer  in  the   Tear 330 

XXIX.     Love  Unconfined    331 

XXX.     Patriotism   331 

XXXI.     The  World  Beautiful 332 

XXXII.     Writer's  Plight 332 

XXXIII.     Rhyme  and  Reason   333 

XXXIV.     Convincing  Argument    333 

XXXV.     League  of  Nations 334 

XXXVI.     Thought  of  Peace    334 

XXXVII.     Ambition  to  Rise    335 

XXXVIII.     Solubility  of  Greatness   335 

XXXIX.     Substance  of  Pride    336 

XL.     Non-vicarious  Merit 336 

XLI.     An  Apple  and  Its  Tree 337 

XLII.     Psychology    337 

XLIII.     The   Classes    338 

XLIV.     Glory  Supreme 338 

XLV.     The  Flag  Invisible    339 

XLVI.     Reason  for  Existence    339 

XLVII.     Rendezvous    340 

XLVIII.     One  More    340 

XLIX.     Humanity  Proud    341 

L.     Aircastle    341 


xiv  CONTENTS 


PART   EIGHT  

SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY 


A  Program  Toward  Its  Attainment 

PAGE 

Introduction    346 

I.     The  Reverse  Side  of  the  Medal 347 

11.     Danger  of  Defenselessness   354 

III.     Governmental  War  Prevention  Policy 360 

IV.     Industrial  Army  of  National  Service  and  De- 
fense    372 

V.     Individual  Action  for  Cooperative  Success..  383 


PART   NINE 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Newspaper  Articles 

Recognition  for  Nationalities   393 

Concerning  Americanization   395 

Votes  for  Women — How  to  Obtain  Them 396 

Taking  the  Terror  Out  of  Revolution 398 

Is  Competition  the  Life  of  Trade? 399 

Referendum  on  League  Covenant 401 

Prohibition — By  Whom  ? 403 

Social  Equality 409 

League  Covenant — Yes  and  No 412 

Universal   Language — Why    Not   English.^ 416 


CONTENTS  XV 

Other  Miscellanies:  „,^^ 

New  Year's  Day   418 

Pleadings  in  Greetings — 1913-1921 419 

Literary   Preparedness    425 

Song  of  the  Few   428 

Friendship   by   Thought    429 

A  Baby  Born   430 

Month  of  May   431 

Song  of  Proletarian  Patriots    432 

New    Liberty    433 

Taxpayers'   Plaint    438 

Allied   Operation    442 


PART    TEN 


FROM    SUNRISE    TO    SUNDOWN 
A   Series   of   Songs^   Fusing  Sense   and   Sentiment 

The  Roamer   453 

Unison    454 

Love's   Longing    456 

Every  Duty  in  Due  Order 457 

Factory    Romance    457 

Home  Founding 458 

Sometimes   I   Fear    460 

Build  a   Nest    461 

Perhaps   You  Know   Not    462 

Cradle  Song   463 

Gossip   Town    464 

Troubled  World   465 

Farewell    466 


xvi  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Shine,  Morning  Star   467 

Hymn  of  Labor   467 

Fall-Time  Hours    469 

Neighborliness 470 

Three  Leaves    471 

The  Soul  at  Peace 472 

Remembrance    473 


PART    ONE 

THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE 

A  short  novel  containing  little  fiction,  much  truth 
and  some  philosophy 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE 


A    SPRAY    FROM    THE    SEA    OF    ENMITIES 

Verily,  most  complex  is  the  loom  on  which  ever 
busy  Fate  patterns  forth  the  destiny  of  each  single 
heart.  Threads  in  the  texture  twist  and  cross,  then 
twist  again  in  so  many  ways,  they  come  from  so 
many  sides  and  go  in  so  many  directions  that  the 
tiniest  prospect  for  a  new  design  becomes  the  con- 
cern of  all  who  know  anything  about  it.  In  fact, 
long  before  eugenics  became  a  popular  theme  for 
fanciful  lectures  and  discussions,  general  interest 
in  the  subject  and  close  attention  to  its  minutest 
bearings  were,  as  they  still  remain,  manifested  by  the 
innumerable  boards  of  censorship — meeting  daily  in 
homes,  at  the  grocers',  the  butchers'  and  the  bakery 
stores,  to  pass  judgment  on  all  things  under  the 
sun  and,  quite  especially,  on  budding  love  affairs. 

At  one  of  these  meetings,  presided  over  by  a  kind- 
hearted  woman,  Mrs.  Dora  Parker,  in  her  well-ap- 
pointed bakery  store,  gossip  rose  to  the  level  of 
deliberation — sometimes.  Even  so,  let  no  one  under- 
estimate the  value  of  such  sessions,  for  opinions  there 
formed  (be  they  in  regard  to  the  sinking  of  a  steam- 
ship or  the  floating  of  a  courtship)  constitute  real, 


4  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

directive  power  in  society.  Ideas  sounded  in  such 
places  turn,  not  seldom,  into  tone-giving  thought- 
waves  of  which  platform  eloquence  is  but  the  reflex 
and  echo,  albeit  an  artistic  rendition. 

Now,  the  two  kinds  of  ships  were  not  mentioned 
for  the  mere  style  of  playing  with  words,  but  because 
the  sinking  of  merchant  vessels  in  one  part  of  the 
world  caused  deep  resentment;  in  another  part, 
against  the  courtship  of  Gustave  Kromer,  who  first 
saw  the  light  somewhere  in  Central  Europe,  for  Clara 
Milton,  a  girl  of  Scotch-English  descent. 

Besides  the  hundred  and  one  questions  of  social, 
economic,  and  individual  fitness,  usually  argued 
about  from  a  score  of  viewpoints,  there  entered  into 
the  story  of  Gustave  and  Clara  a  consideration 
which,  through  the  course  taken  by  the  world's  his- 
tory, had  risen  from  a  somewhat  obscure  or  sub- 
dued corner  of  the  mind  to  a  badly  inflamed  and 
unpleasantly  glaring  prominence.  The  smouldering 
embers  of  tribal,  racial,  and  national  feelings  had 
been  rekindled,  and  both  their  fairies  and  their 
furies — more  especially  the  latter — received  a  new 
lease  on  life  with  preferential  clauses  for  public 
exposition. 

Somehow,  Mrs.  Parker  withstood  the  contagion 
of  warlike  feelings  which  swept  from  old  Europe, 
across  the  ocean,  to  the  new  country.  She  had  a 
kind  word  for  all.  Her  sympathy  found  expression, 
more  in  the  absence  of  the  parties  favored  than  in 
their  presence,  by  a  word  of  defense  for  the  accused 
or  a  pointed  question  for  the  .side  claiming  holiness. 
Here  was  a  person  everybody  wanted  to  convince  of 
something,  and  so  her  store  became  a  favorite  place 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  5 

for  venting  opinions.  She  was  not  surprised  when 
a  customer — Mrs.  Clancy  by  name,  a  lady  tall  and 
stout,  with  gall-filled  temper  and  ample  lungs  to  let 
it  loose — on  entering  the  store  broke  out  in  denun- 
ciation of  people  who  "do  not  know  their  place." 

"Oh,  you  got  out  of  bed  on  the  wrong  side,  this 
morning,"  soothed  Mrs.  Parker.  "I  hope  you  didn't 
spank  Tommy." 

"Yes,  I  did,  and  Kathleen,  too,  and  I  gave  Georgie 
his  first  beating.  He  is  the  worst  of  the  three,  he 
pulled  my  hair  as  if  I  had  ever  so  much  of  it." 

"Well,  that's  handing  it  out  liberally,"  laughed 
the  storekeeper,  "but,  then,  you  ought  to  be  satis- 
fied.    How  many  loaves  to-day?" 

"Satisfied.?  No.  I'd  like  to  spank  a  big  fellow 
and  give  it  to  him  good  and  hard!" 

"Your  husband?" 

"Not  him — to-day.  It's  that  lanky  star-boarder 
of  Mrs.-what-you-may-call-her  across  the  street." 

"You  mean  Mrs.  Switzer.  Will  you  have  two 
loaves  or  three?" 

"I  mean  her  star-boarder;  the  rascal  is  angling 
for  Clara  Milton.  I  say  a  Dutch  dog  shouldn't 
prowl  around  an  English  household  these  days !" 

The  last  sentence  was  overheard  by  the  very  Mrs. 
Switzer,  from  across  the  street,  who  had  come  for 
her  bread  and  cake  supply.  She  took  up  the  chal- 
lenge ;  sniffing  defiance  for  a  breath  or  two,  she  said, 
with  stress  on  every  word :  "I  have  seen  a  Dutch  dane 
choke  an  English  collie." 

"Have  you?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Clancy,  motioning 
to  the  other  woman,  half  her  size.  "Now,  see  how  it 
feels !" 


6  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Mrs.  Clancy's  arms  stretched  out  for  battle. 
There  was  a  shuffling  of  feet.  Mrs.  Parker,  with  a 
wrapped  parcel,  wedged  herself  between  the  two 
women.  "You  are  not  English !"  she  said,  to  the  one 
and  to  the  other :  "You  are  not  Dutch !  Here,  I  have 
packed  in  three  loaves.  Never  mind,  you'll  pay  me  to- 
morrow." With  the  agility  of  a  gymnast,  she  man- 
aged, pushing  or  pulling,  to  bring  Mrs.  Clancy  to 
the  door,  and  dexterously  manipulated  her  out  of 
the  place. 


II 


A   CITY  AND   MORE  IN    DANGEE 

Mrs.  Parker  drew  a  breath  of  relief  as  she  found 
herself  behind  the  counter  wrapping  up  some  raisin 
cake,  after  a  hair-breadth  escape  from  witnessing  a 
fight  in  her  own  store. 

"Such  is  the  irony  of  fate,"  she  reflected.  "I  am 
ever  trying  to  promote  friendships  and  here  women 
get  to  fighting."  Then  turning  to  Mrs.  Switzer,  she 
remarked:  "You  ought  not  to  have  taken  offense. 
Sometimes  people  say  things  worse  than  they  intend." 

"Sometimes,"  rejoined  the  other,  "but  more  often 
the  thought  is  blacker  than  the  words  in  which  they 
express  it.  It  was  the  fourth  time  to-day  I  had 
heard  sentiments  like  that.  You  couldn't  stand  so 
much.  Anyhow,  what  was  the  matter.?  I  never  put 
a  straw  in  her  way!" 

"She  didn't  mean  you.  I  suppose  you  know  she 
lost  a  cousin  on  one  of  the  sunken  boats  and  now 
she  is  hot  against  all  Germans.     This  moraing  she 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  7 

is  grouchy  because  your  boarder,  Mr.  Kromer,  courts 
her  friend  Mrs.  Milton's  daughter  Clara." 

"My  boarder,  Gustave  Kromer,"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Switzer,  "is  a  good  enough  man  for  any  girl  on 
earth !"  Then  she  launched  into  lauding  his  virtues 
and  kept  on  praising  the  fellow,  undisturbed  by  the 
entrance  of  several  other  customers. 

Mrs.  Parker  obligingly  related  to  the  new  arrivals 
the  subject-matter  under  discussion,  whereupon  they 
joined  the  conversation. 

"You  must  not  blame  her  too  much,"  mollified 
one  of  the  company.  "She  is  ambitious  for  her  chil- 
dren and  is  trying  to  please  some  high-toned  friends. 
Yes,  she  is  on  visiting  terms  with  Mrs.  Clorin,  wife 

of  Dr.  Clorin,  who  is  in  with  the  rich .    He  is  a 

good  doctor,  though." 

Another  quoted  the  Shakespearian  pronouncement 
as  to  the  course  of  true  love,  and  wanted  to  tell  her 
own  experience ;  however,  the  others  managed  to  hold 
fast  the  case  of  Gustave  and  Clara.  Now,  discussion 
became  good-naturedly  animated,  pros  and  cons 
coming  thick  and  fast.  Suddenly  the  talk  ceased 
and  each  stood  still  in  the  grip  of  a  terrible  presenti- 
ment. 

Fire-fighting  apparatus,  with  its  incidental  clang 
and  bang,  was  tearing  by  in  front  of  the  place.  From 
the  sound  of  the  rattle  they  knew  its  direction.  The 
women  in  the  bakery  store  remained  still,  causing  a 
quietness  in  which  one  might  hear  the  heart-beats  of 
the  others ;  certainly,  each  heart  there  was  thump- 
ing overtime. 

Mrs.  Parker  stepped  to  the  telephone.     "Central," 


8  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

she  inquired,  in  full  anticipation  of  the  answer, 
"where  is  the  fire?"  Then,  turning  back  and  nod- 
ding sadly,  she  declared:  "Sure  enough,  the  fire  is  at 
Nanglow  &  Stillmansworth's." 

"Goodness  gracious !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Switzer, 
"both  Gustave  and  Clara  are  working  there." 

"Six  thousand  people  are  working  in  those 
plants !"  exclaimed  another. 

"If  the  fire  gets  to  the  powder  stores,  it  will  be 
the  end  of  the  city,"  said  a  third. 

"And  the  end  of  who  knows  what  else !"  intoned 
a  fourth  body. 

This  last  remark  brought  to  each  mind  present 
a  train  of  thoughts  poignantly  painful,  yet  too  in- 
articulate for  expression.  Again  stillness  ensued,  a 
suspense  of  fear  in  the  vacuum  of  helplessness. 


Ill 


THE    SOLEAMANCER 

It  was  a  fortunate  turn  for  the  five  ladies  stand- 
ing speechless  in  the  bakery  store  when  a  man  en- 
tered whose  very  appearance  eased  the  tension. 
There  was  sometliing  in  him  or  about  him  that 
radiated  strength  and  confidence  with  the  very  first 
impression  of  his  athletic  though  somewhat  bent 
figure.  His  sharp  features  and  penetrating  look 
proclaimed  him  a  thinker,  but  his  hands,  chapped 
and  brown,  showed  him  to  be  one  who  does  not  live 
by  his  wits  and  need  not  be  feared  on  that  account. 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  9 

Before  asking  his  wants,  Mrs.  Parker  asked  his 
opinion:  "Oh,  Mr.  Frank,  I  am  glad  to  see  you. 
What  do  you  think  of  the  fire ! — it's  in  the  Powder 
Plant — now,  the  second  time — isn't  it  awful?" 

The  man  answered  with  a  calmness  that  gradually 
brought  the  other  hearts  back  to  normal  beating. 
"Sad  it  is  and  bad  it  is,"  he  said,  "but  the  world 
has  passed  through  many  dark  days,  yet  the  sunshine 
lost  none  of  its  glory." 

"Full  of  hope  as  ever!" 

"Why,  friends,  hope  is  but  another  name  for  life. 
Where  there  is  life  there  is  hope.  Every  day  is  the 
forerunner  of  another  day  and  every  breath  holds 
the  promise  of  another  breath.  In  the  last  day  at 
the  last  breath  there  is  still  hope,  or  more  than 
hope — there  is  assurance  of  immortality,  be  it  one 
kind  or  another." 

His  eloquence  was  cut  short  by  the  pleasant  news 
that  the  fire  was  under  control. 

"You  ought  to  be  a  preacher,"  remarked  one  of 
the  ladies. 

"Most  everybody  is,"  the  man  answered,  "and  it's 
a  heap  more  joy  to  preach  for  fun  than  for  money." 

"Are  you  still  in  the  fortune-telling  business.?" 
asked  Mrs.  Parker  laughingly. 

"No,  but  I  am  still  in  business  and  do  some  for- 
tune-telling. Look,  this  is  the  way  some  of  my 
clients  got  even  with  me."  He  opened  a  roll  of 
heavy  white  paper.  It  was  a  drawing  executed  by 
one  of  no  mean  ability.  The  picture  showed  a  cob- 
bler at  work,  and  three  other  persons,  seated,  watch- 
ing, not  his  hands,  but  his  mouth.  The  customers 
appeared,    differently    but    pleasantly,    affected    by 


10  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

what  they  heard.     Underneath  the  picture  fancy  let- 
tering conveyed  the  legend: 

*' Soling  and  heeling  while  you  wait.''* 

Mrs.  Parker  playfully  lifted  her  foot.  "Now, 
go  on,  tell  me  my  fortune,  if  you  are  so  wise." 

Mr.  Frank  looked  at  the  foot  or  the  footgear  quite 
a  while,  compelling  Mrs.  Parker  to  lean  against  the 
counter  and  dance  on  one  foot  —  this  furnishing 
hilarious  entertainment  for  the  others. 

"All  right,"  he  said,  after  the  lapse  of  half  a 
minute,  then  added  gravely:  "You  are  putting  your 
foot  in  too  many  love  affairs.  If  you  don't  watch 
out,  somebody  will  fall  in  love  with  you." 

The  other  ladies  laughed  uproariously;  then, 
starting  into  a  sort  of  protracted  cancan  dance, 
each  clamored  for  a  morsel  of  Mr.  Frank's  occultry. 
Compassionate,  as  usual,  Mrs.  Parker  hurriedly  gave 
Frank  his  parcel  and  let  him  escape,  then  to  pacify 
her  company  led  them  to  resume  the  original  dis- 
cussion. 


IV 


HOW   LOVE   LAUGHS   AT   THE    LOCKSMITH 

With  no  thought  for  gossip,  but  deeply  concerned 
for  the  mother  whom  she  knew  was  awaiting  her  anx- 
iously, Clara  Milton  hastened  home  after  the  close 
of  a  busy  day's  work.  Indeed,  the  mother  was 
happy  to  see  her  daughter  step  in  as  cheerful  as 
usual.  There  was  more  fervor  than  usual  in  their 
kiss  of  greeting. 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  11 

"Was  it  a  bad  fire?"  asked  the  mother,  half  afraid 
of  receiving  a  reply  in  the  affirmative. 

"There  was  scarcely  any  damage,  only  smoke; 
the  worst  thing  about  the  fire  is  that  nobody  knows 
how  it  started." 

"I  am  afraid  of  mischief,  aren't  you?" 

"Afraid?  Oh,  mother,  haven't  you  told  me  I 
should  fear  nothing  but  my  own  weakness  and  negli- 
gence?" 

"So  I  did,  Bonny.  I  wonder  if  the  others  are  as 
careful  as  they  should  be?" 

"Mr.  Stillmansworth  certainly  is.  He  was  down- 
stairs and  noticed  the  smoke  coming,  no  thicker  than 
the  curl  of  a  cigarette,  through  a  crevice  in  the  floor. 
Say,  mother,  I  am  perfectly  sure  that  my  pay  will 
be  raised  again;  but  do  you  know,  I  would  work 
for  the  man  if  the  pay  envelope  grew  the  other  way." 

"Bonny,  it  is  good  to  feel  that  way,  but  watch  the 
ledger  of  your  heart;  watch  what  you  are  giving 
credit  for." 

"Watch!  Watch!  Oh,  mother,  sometimes  I  am 
tired  watching.  I  suppose,  though,  I'll  always  have 
to." 

"It  will  be  ever  easier.  By  and  by  you  needn't 
watch  your  own  steps  at  all,  but  only  the  road  on 
which  you  walk." 

"I  suppose  the  road  leading  to  the  lecture  hall 
to-night  is  good  and  safe,  is  it?" 

"Yes,  Bonny  dear.  We'll  go  after  supper.  I 
prepared  a  good  meal.     How  is  your  appetite?" 

"Don't  you  worry — I  can  eat  for  two,  though  I 
can't  vote  for  one." 

Soon  mother  and  daughter  were  on  their  way  to 


12  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

the  lecture  hall.  The  mind  of  Mrs.  Milton  certainly 
needed  diversion.  "Bonny,"  she  said,  "I  think  you 
had  better  quit  working  at  Nanglow's.  The  place 
is  in  danger  and  I  can't  bear  the  thought  of  harm  to 
you." 

"Oh,  I  couldn't  think  of  leaving  Mr.  Stillmans- 
worth;  he  works  so  hard,  he  seems  to  carry  on  his 
shoulders  the  burden  of  the  entire  plant.  I  just 
like  to  help  him  and  he  says  I  am  his  right-hand " 

They  arrived  at  the  hall  in  good  time.  Gustave 
Kromer  was  at  the  door  handing  out  programs. 

On  seeing  Clara,  his  face  lit  up  and  the  girl  noticed 
it.  Her  heart  beat  a  little  faster  and  she  nodded  a 
greeting — perhaps  friendlier  than  she  knew,  but  it 
affected  the  fellow  with  full  force  and  he  dreamed 
rosy  dreams  that  night. 

The  tiny  flutter  of  these  two  hearts  was  observed 
by  Clara's  mother  and  Frank,  the  amateur  fortune- 
teller, who  stood  nearby.  (Of  course,  the  keenness 
of  his  clairvoyancy  increased  just  that  much.) 

Mother  and  daughter  heard  a  fine  lecture  on  "Re- 
sponsibility," discussed  it  on  their  way  home,  and 
agreed  that  responsibility  should  not  be  confined  to 
only  one  of  the  sexes. 

"Well,  who  is  responsible  for  the  greeting  you 
gave  to  that  man  in  the  hall.'"' 

Clara  laughed.  "I  suppose  both  of  us,"  and  then 
she  told  her  mother  what  she  knew  of  the  man  and 
it  was  a  rather  favorable  report. 

At  home  the  mother  petted  Clara  again :  "Are  you 
watching  yourself  closely.?" 

"Yes,  yes,  yes,  mother  dear,"  replied  the  girl,  and 
in  her  thoughts  she  added:  "I  need  to." 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  13 

They  kissed  good-night  ("Early  to  bed"  was  a 
law  in  their  household),  and  with  no  thought  for  the 
many  minds  that  might  hold  an  interest  in  the  con- 
cern of  her  life,  Clara  slipped  underneath  a  dainty 
cover.  She  always  minded  the  advice  of  her  mother 
religiously.  She  watched  herself  now,  and  to  ward 
oif  certain  insistent  thoughts,  she  closed  her  eyes, 
took  to  deep  breathing,  and  in  a  few  minutes  was 
sound  asleep.  Then  the  watching  ceased.  The  tall 
figure  of  Kromer  stood  beside  her.  With  an  implor- 
ing look  in  his  eyes  he  bent  over  her,  and  she  un- 
resistingly let  him  kiss  her  lips,  once — twice;  then 
she  fought  to  escape,  woke  up  and  took  to  deey 
breathing  again. 


INTRA-NATIONAL    WAR    MAPS 

That  self-same  evening,  Clara  was  considered  to 
have  a  bearing  on  matters  of  general  and  grave  im- 
portance. No  less  a  personage  than  Fairchild  Nan- 
glow,  senior  head  of  the  largest  industrial  plant  in 
the  state,  held  a  report  in  his  hand  pertaining  to 
No.  4678,  which  meant  Clara  Milton.  To  be  spoken 
of  amongst  one's  acquaintances  is  nothing  unusual, 
but  she  was  the  subject  of  serious  consideration  in 
a  most  beautiful  palace,  the  far-famed  residence  of 
the  Nanglows.  How  could  she  have  thought  of 
that? 

With  the  report  in  hand,  Mr.  Nanglow  paced  the 
floor  of  a  well-appointed  studio  adjoining  his  richly 
furnished  library.  A  large  desk  stood  covered  with 
papers  like  the  one  he  held  in  his  hand.     All  these 


14  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

were  reports  that  had  come  from  the  Industrial  Re- 
serve Association,  giving  a  full  account  of  the  record, 
standing,  and  activities  of  persons  employed  by 
Nanglow  &  Stillmansworth.  A  sprinkling  of  red- 
colored  slips  called  for  special  and  immediate  atten- 
tion. 

Such  a  one  was  No.  4678.  Nanglow  was  ponder- 
ing over  it  for  several  minutes.  Though  used  to 
decide  quickly,  he  could  not  make  up  his  mind  at 
all,  in  this  case. 

After  several  vain  efforts  to  reach  a  conclusion,  he 
called  Mrs.  Nanglow  from  her  own  studio  across 
the  hallway. 

"Sweetheart,"  he  said,  "Woodberry  says  I  had 
better  play  a  strong  hand.  Must  we,  I  wonder.^ 
Have  you  communicated  with  the  Credolinis.?" 

"Yes,  of  course.  The  dinner  they  gave,  night  be- 
fore last,  was  the  most  sumptuous  affair  we  ever 
attended.     Don't  you  think  so.?" 

"Yes." 

"It  was  arranged  with  the  intention  to  impress 
their  social  standing  on  Stillmansworth,  but  I  sup- 
pose he  is  still  obstinate." 

"Yes,  and  there  may  be  a  woman  in  the  case." 

"What?     Does  Woodberry  say  so.''" 

Nanglow  took  a  letter  from  the  top  drawer  of  the 
desk  and  read  it. 

"Fairchild  Nanglow,  Esq. 

''Dear  Sir: — The  full  force  contracted  for  is  in 
readiness.  Though  we  receive  no  more  pay  for  ac- 
tion after  strike  has  been  declared,  we  urge  you  not 
to  postpone  operations.     Surprising  and  overawing 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  15 

the  enemy  always  disconcerts  him,  while  even  a  seem- 
ing achievement  lures  and  steels  him  to  fight  on.  You 
must  realize  that  extraordinary  circumstances  hold 
possibilities  unpleasant  to   contemplate. 

"We  send  you  special  reports  Nos.  4678  and  1867. 
These,  in  conjunction  with  1892  and  2981,  carefully 
reviewed,  may  show  proper  course. 
"Yours  obediently, 
"INDUSTRIAL   RESERVE   ASSOCIATION, 
"Arthur  Woodberry, 

"Fresident" 

"Where  is  the  woman  in  the  case?" 

Nanglow  proceeded  to  read  the  red  sHp  he  still 
held  in  his  hand: 

"  'No.  4678  promoted  for  diligence ;  good-looking, 
thinks  the  world  of  No.  9.'  Number  9,  you  know, 
is  Stillmansworth." 

"Well,  we  know  he  believes  in  making  employees 
like  him." 

Nanglow  took  another  red  slip  from  the  desk. 
"Now,  listen  to  this: 

"  'No.  9  amiable  to  employees  as  ever.  Especially 
fond  of  No.  4678.  Given  to  occasional  reveries. 
Raised  pay  of  a  chief  malcontent.'  " 

"That  does  sound  suspicious.  But  can  you  de- 
pend on  these  reports,  when  it  comes  to  fine  shadings 
like  that.?" 

"Implicitly.  We  do  not  know  the  men  who  fur- 
nish information.  They  do  not  know  us  personally, 
and  they  do  not  know  each  other.  People  in  our 
employ  serve  the  Woodberry  Association  for  small 
pay  and  large  hope.   .  .   .  Their  reports  are  checked 


16  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

by  each  other,  and  so  every  statement  we  receive 
is  really  more  and  better  than  an  affidavit." 

"I  see,  of  course,  we  pay  for  it  all.  Wouldn't  that 
much  money  added  to  the  pay-roll  fetch  peace  in 
the  plant.?" 

"My  gracious,  no !  The  agitators,  like  the  poor, 
are  always  with  us." 

After  a  few  moments'  thinking,  Mrs.  Nanglow 
asked  for  information  in  regard  to  other  numbers 
mentioned  in  the  Woodberry  letter. 

"I  will  discuss  those  with  Stillmansworth ;  he  is 
to  be  here  presently."  They  looked  out  from  the 
window  and  saw  his  car  rolling  toward  their  gate. 

"He  can  be  depended  on  for  keeping  appoint- 
ments on  time,"  remarked  Mrs.  Nanglow.  Mr.  Nan- 
glow  hastily  jotted  names  on  a  few  red  slips  from 
cards  with  corresponding  numbers.  Both  entered 
the  library  to  receive  Mr.  Stillmansworth. 


VI 


SPLIT  BETWEEN   GENERALS 

The  two  men  shook  hands  in  friendly  yet  reserved 
manner. 

"Please  stay  with  us,"  said  Mr.  Nanglow  to  his 
wife,  "we  may  have  to  have  the  services  of  an  umpire 
to-night."     And  he  forced  a  laugh. 

"Oh,  you  must  not  go  to  extremes." 

"We  are  already  in  a  sore  extremity.  Be  seated, 
sir.  Can  you  feel  portents  in  the  air  or  see  signs 
in  the  sky  favorable  to  us.'^" 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  17 

"All  my  attention  is  riveted  to  the  matter  in 
hand." 

"And  don't  you  feel  it  slip?" 

"There  is  no  use  fooling  ourselves.  If  we  do  not 
make  some  concessions,  the  men  may  ask  too  much; 
and  if  we  do  not  pacify  them  before  to-morrow  eve- 
ning, it  may  be  too  late.  I  believe  the  safest  method 
for  averting  trouble  is  to  cut  ahead  of  firebrands; 
publish  what  we  grant,  and  depend  upon  the  common 
sense  of  most  of  the  men  for  good  results." 

"Of  course,  you  would  grant  off  your  shirt  and 
do  business  on  the  naked  skin " 

"Out  of  order,"  ruled  Mrs.  Nanglow. 

"Thank  you,"  said  Stillmansworth,  "I  have  been 
able  to  patch  up  differences  through  these  many 
years  by  treating  men  with  consideration.  I  pro- 
pose to  apply  the  same  method  now." 

"This  time  it  may  bring  on  disaster.  A  little  gain 
will  only  serve  them  as  a  base  for  further  attack. 
Shooting  a  few  of  the  fools  and  jailing  the  rascals 
will  settle  matters  all  right,  I  think." 

"What  if  it  won't?  What  if  they  seize  weapons 
of  desperation?" 

"If  you  think  defeat,  you  are  lost!" 

"If  we  don't,  we  may  be  lost  and  damned  besides." 

"Out  of  order!"  warned  again  Mrs.  Nanglow. 

"Pardon,  madam,  but  see,  from  a  comparatively 
small  institution  our  plant  has  grown  to  be  one  of 
the  very  largest." 

"We  always  appreciated  your  help  in  our  suc- 
cess;  and,  I  hope,  you  perceived  our  disposition  to 
share  it  with  you." 

"Indeed,  I  appreciate  the  position  you  permitted 


18  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

me  to  reach,  and  even  more  your  kindness  to  my 
family.  I  am  striving,  with  mind  and  heart,  to  bring 
the  firm  through  this  crisis  strong,  hale  and  hearty." 

"But  what  have  you  done,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Nan- 
glow  impatiently,  "to  break  or  dissuade  the  miserable 
vandals  who  would  break  their  own  necks  for  the 
pleasure  of  wrecking  us?" 

"We  have  time  till  to-morrow  night.  Until  then 
something  may  happen  to  allay  the  storm.  Have 
you  thought  of  anything.^  I  mean  other  than  de- 
fiance." 

"That  is  the  only  way.  Here  is  this  fellow" — 
Nanglow  glanced  at  one  of  the  slips — "Norling,  who 
nurtures  political  ambitions.  Now,  he  is  heading  the 
mob  to  gain  popularity.  Had  you  discharged  him, 
the  man  would  stand  discredited  by  this  time.  In- 
stead, you  encouraged  him  in  his  folly." 

"That  is  the  least  dangerous  hobby  for  talented 
fellows  like  him.  One  who  learns  the  trickeries  neces- 
sary and  the  jealousies  unavoidable  in  the  political 
game  has  little  of  the  fanatic  left  in  him.  If  he 
gets  anywhere,  he  can  be  easily  dealt  with." 

"And  this  fellow  Clancy,  his  brother  is  president 
of  the  Masons'  Union " 

"One  of  the  sensible  men  who  will  not  be  swayed 
by  hot-heads." 

"And  this  fellow  Kontar,  handy-man  of  the  lead- 
ers  " 

"Entirely  harmless  fellow." 

"And  this  man  Kromer,  under  the  influence  of  a 
mysterious  person,  is  he,  too,  harmless.'^" 

"Who  is  that  person.?"  Stillmansworth  asked 
with  interest. 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  19 

"Frank,  shoemaker;  could  be  most  anything,  but 
sticks  to  his  last.  Refuses  to  tell  race,  creed  or 
nationality.  Well  liked  in  his  neighborhood.  A 
puzzling  character!" 

"This  is  news  to  me  and  I  shall  run  it  down." 

"But  you  increased  the  man's  wages  instead  of 
discharging  him,  as  I  requested  in  my  telegram." 

"He  is  an  excellent  and  industrious  workman. 
Besides,  I  wanted  him  to  feel  that  we  mean  to  be 
fair." 

"There  again!  You  risk  our  fortune  on  their 
sense  of  fairness." 

Nanglow  laughed  a  few  spasms.  "It  is  all  rot. 
We  must  bend  them  or  break  them  into  submission. 
That  is  the  policy  I  have  determined  upon,  and  now 
I  insist  on  its  being  carried  out." 

"I  do  not  want  to  be  responsible  for  carrying  out 
that  program." 

"What.?  Will  you  stand  aside  and  suffer  the 
consequences .?" 

Stillmansworth  remained  silent.  Mrs.  Nanglow 
knew  the  trend  of  his  thoughts.  "For  heaven's  sake," 
she  implored  both  men,  "do  not  shatter,  in  a  moment 
of  anger,  a  friendship  built  by  the  toil  and  atten- 
tion of  a  lifetime."  Then  she  addressed  Stillmans- 
worth: "You  have  grown  to  a  man's  full  stature 
and  you  can  afford  to  reap  as  you  sow,  but  think  of 
your  wife  and  daughter.  Have  a  heart  for  them. 
Think  of  Eleanor,  poor  girl ;  if  your — if  your  in- 
come ceases,  what  is  to  become  of  her.?  Surely,  you 
cannot  expect  young  Credolini  to  marry  a  pauper — 
no,  no,  no,  I  do  not  mean  to  insult  you;  but  why 
should  you  wreck  the  happiness  of  your  own  flesh 


20  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

and  blood  for  the  benefit  of  no  one  in  particular?" 

Stillmansworth  swallowed  a  lump.  "I  would  glad- 
ly die  to  make  her  happy,"  he  said. 

"But  you  can't  help  her  by  dying — you  can  only 
help  her  by  maintaining  your  position,  by  heighten- 
ing it  rather  than  by  falling  for  the  mob." 

Stillmansworth  rose  to  go;  holding  fast  to  hope, 
he  spoke  consolingly:  "There  is  still  a  chance  that 
the  thing  will  blow  over.  Even  their  meeting  to- 
morrow evening  may  miscarry,  and  that  would  end 
the  matter  for  a  while." 

"One  more  thing,"  exclaimed  Nanglow;  "I  re- 
ceived an  unfavorable  report  on — Clara  Milton.  I 
want  you  to  turn  her  out  of  the  office  as  soon  as 
she  enters  in  the  morning." 

The  other  man  was  taken  aback.  For  several 
moments  he  was  speechless.  Nanglow  seemed  fight- 
ing him  irxstead  of  with  him.  His  face  flushed  in 
resentment.  Observing  this  sign  of  emotion,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Nanglow  glanced  at  each  other  under- 
standingly.  Stillmansworth  tried  to  avert,  with  a 
joke,  the  shaft  thrust  at  him.  "No,  no,"  he  said, 
"we  are  in  love  with  each  other.  Where  I  am  there 
she  is  bound  to  be.  Meet  me  at  the  office  to-morrow 
before  closing." 

VII 

INDIRECT    ACTION 

"Well?"  asked  Nanglow,  on  being  left  alone  with 
his  lady. 

"He  always  worshipped  his  daughter,  and  if  his 
heart  cannot  be  reached  through  her  it  must  have 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  21 

changed.  ...  Is  it  possible  that  a  man  like  him 
will  become  infatuated  with  a  simpleton  of  a  woman 
not  half  his  age?"  "Yes,"  the  lady  answered  her- 
self, "  'There  is  no  fool  like  an  old  fool.'  " 

"Right  you  are,  Jenny !"  Nanglow  exclaimed.  The 
gall  in  him  was  irritated.  He  began  to  drum  on  the 
slips  lying  before  him,  then  paced  the  spacious  li- 
brary room  from  one  end  to  the  other,  while  venting 
his  thoughts  aloud.  "Right  you  are,  Jenny !  'No 
fool  like  an  old  fool,'  and  shall  I — shall  we  be  beaten 
to  pulp  by  fools,  young  or  old.^^  He  may  be  a  scoun- 
drel like  the  rest  of  the  gutterlings,  only  he  was 
able  to  hide  his  lawless  disposition  longer.  He  may 
want  a  crash  to  get  rid  of  his  family.  It  is  a  case  of 
the  cultured  specimen  reverting  to  its  type.  That's 
so.  He  may  be  craving  to  wallow  with  his  fellows  in 
the  gutter,  but  he  shall  not  drag  us  down  with  him. 
I — we'll  fight  them  all,  won't  we.?" 

Nanglow  turned  to  his  wife  for  support  and  in- 
spiration, which  came  forth,  as  throughout  the  thirty- 
five  years  of  their  wedded  life,  in  an  overflowing 
measure. 

"I  will  be  with  you  to  the  death !"  she  said  earnest- 
ly. "But  what  is  to  become  of  all  this.?  It  seems  as 
if  the  end  of  the  world  had  come." 

"No,  it  is  only  a  castigation  fully  deserved,  but  I — 
we  shall  not  allow  them  to  throw  us  on  the  scrap- 
heap." 

"Shall  we  break  with  Stillmansworth.?" 

"I  will  see  him   once   more,   to-morrow." 

"Suppose  he  remains  stubborn?" 

"Yes,  we  must  prepare  for  that.  Do  you  know 
anything  about  that  fellow  Norling?" 


22  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"He  lives  in  one  of  the  Credolini  tenements.  I 
understand  their  child  is  sick.  They  called  our  doc- 
tor, Dr.  Clorin,  who  is  somewhat  loath  to  go — per- 
haps for  fear  it  would  offend  us." 

The  lips  of  Nanglow  curved  a  fraction  of  a  smile ; 
of  course,  his  wife  noticed  it.  "Have  you  an  idea.?" 
she  inquired. 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  stepped  to  the  telephone,  and 
spoke  into  the  transmitter:  "Tell  the  doctor  to  come 
as  soon  as  possible."  Then  he  turned  to  his  wife 
again :  "Do  you  know  anything  about  this  mysterious 
fellow  Frank.?" 

"John  (the  chauffeur)  takes  work  there  once  in  a 
while.  He  is  quite  taken  with  the  ways  of  the  man — 
I  have  a  way  of  finding  out  what's  in  him." 

"You  are  my  brave  old  comrade!  No,  you  are 
my  ever  young  sweetheart," — then  there  was  a  pas- 
toral spell  lasting  until  Dr.  Clorin  arrived.  Mrs. 
Nanglow  discreetly  left  the  room. 

The  usual  questions  and  ceremonies  over,  the  doc- 
tor told  Mr.  Nanglow  that  what  he  needed  was  a 
vacation  from  all  worry. 

"You  are  right.  Doctor  Clorin,  I  need  a  vacation 
from  all  worry,  but  especially  from  one  that's  hang- 
ing fire  now.  .  .  .  Yes,  I  have  an  idea  that  you  could 
help  me  get  relief.  .  .  .  You  have  a  call  to  the 
Norlings.  .  .  .  My  gracious,  no !  Nothing  unethi- 
cal. .  .  .  You  told  me  some  time  ago  that  there  is 
nothing  new  in  New  Thought — that  half  of  medical 
science  is  psychology.  Now,  what  I  would  have  you 
do  is  to  go  there  and  hypnotize  the  man  into 
shutting  his  mouth  for  a  couple  of  days.  .  .  .  No, 
no,  no  !    Nothing  improper,  either.    I  would  not  have 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  23 

you  do  anything  that  might  compromise  you  in  the 
least.  It  is  a  case  of  psychology,  pure  and  simple. 
Throw  a  dream  or  a  fear  into  him  that  will  silence 
the  man  to-morrow — for  his  own  good  and  the  good 
of  the  community." 

"I  will  try  to  serve  you." 

"Good  of  you.  Here  I  have  another  fellow,  a 
Dutchman ;  his  name  is  Gustave  Kromer,"  said  Nan- 
glow,  consulting  his  notes.  "Perhaps  you  could  find 
a  way  to,  dope  that  fellow  also,  psychologically,  of 
course.  .   .  ." 

The  doctor  thought  for  a  while,  then  broke  out 
laughing.  "Why,  yes,  Mrs.  Clorin  is  acquainted  with 
a  lady,  a  Mrs.  Clancy,  who  knows  the  girl  that  has 
the  fellow  dangling  on  her  string." 

"Good  boy!"  exclaimed  Nanglow.  He  wrote  a 
check  for  five  hundred  dollars  and  handed  it  to  the 
physician  with  the  words :  "That  much  more  if  your 
psychology  works  on  the  first  man  and  twice  as  much 
if  you  succeed  in  both  cases."  Then  he  called  Mrs. 
Nanglow.  "I  am  feeling  fine  already,"  he  said  to 
her.  "The  doctor  is  a  wonder!  Let  us  celebrate." 
Mrs.  Nanglow  opened  the  mahogany  cellarette  and 
the  two  men  had  much  more  than  just  a  taste  of  the 
several  exquisite  liquors  presented  to  them. 

"I  am  going  right  now  to  the  party  to  be  treated," 
spoke  the  doctor  with  a  heavy  tongue,  and  he 
went.  .   .  . 


24  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 


VIII 


MISCHIEF     BRED     MISCHIEF     BREEDER 

The  following  morning,  Mrs.  Parker  went  about 
opening  her  store  as  usual. 

This  lady  had  been  married  over  fifteen  years  with- 
out the  stork  coming  her  way.  Some  mothers  en- 
vied, others  pitied  her.  She  merited  neither  one  senti- 
ment nor  the  other.  By  transferring  her  maternal 
interest  to  the  common  fund  of  society,  her  mind 
was  ever  occupied  with  the  affairs  of  others,  and  so 
her  heart  received  its  full  share  of  sorrow  and  of 
joy.  Indeed,  her  sympathetic  character  was  the 
chief  asset  of  the  business:  she  radiating  good  will 
and  attracting  returns  in  kind.  Now,  the  task  of 
such  a  character  grew  hourly  more  difficult.  People 
became  more  and  more  surly ;  tolerance  vanished  and 
life-long  friendships  were  shattered  by  a  contemptu- 
ous remark  on  this  or  that  side  of  the  warring 
powers.  Love,  too,  withered,  in  many  an  instance, 
even  as  civilization  crumbled  in  the  jumble  of  bitterly 
impassioned  accusations  and  complaints. 

"How  about  Gustave  and  Clara?"  she  mused,  while 
dusting  counters,  chairs  and  showcases.  "They 
speak  of  each  other  fondly,  with  warmth  and  long- 
ing. Theirs  would  be  a  real,  blessed  love-match,  but 
with  all  the  burning  odds  against  their  union,  can 
they,  should  they,  hope?" 

Opening  the  door  and  looking  up  the  street,  she 
saw  white  crepe  hanging  on  a  door.     The  sight  made 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  25 

her  sick  nigh  to  fainting.  "So  the  darhng  baby 
died!"  she  muttered  to  herself,  and  tears  filled  her 
eyes.  Thinking  of  a  sweet  little  toddler,  who  but 
day  before  yesterday  was  full  of  life  and  play,  now 
lying  stiff  and  cold,  and  of  the  grief-stricken  pa- 
rents, steeped  her  in  their  sorrow.  She  cried  a  long 
while  for  all  three. 

The  pearls  of  compassion  still  glistened  on  her 
face  when  a  customer  entered.  "What  are  you  cry- 
ing for?"  asked  the  fellow,  as  he  took  the  package 
Mrs.  Parker  handed  over  to  him. 

"The   Norlings'  baby  died  overnight." 

The  man,  in  frightened  surprise,  dropped  his 
package  to  the  floor.  "What!"  he  exclaimed,  "Mr. 
Norling  in  such  trouble?" 

Mrs.  Parker  could  offer  only  more  tears. 

The  man,  a  stockily  built,  swarthy-faced  fellow, 
with  mustache  curled  like  the  letter  O,  stood  silent 
for  half  a  minute  or  more  before  bending  down  to 
pick  up  the  parcel  he  had  dropped. 

"Do  you  know  the  Norlings?"  Mrs.  Parker  asked, 
somewhat  touched  by  the  way  the  man  seemed  to 
feel. 

"Sure  I  know  Mr.  Norling.  He  is  head  man  of 
labor  movement.  To-night  is  big  meeting  at  Claren- 
don Hall.     How  can  he  come?" 

"I  shouldn't  think  he  would  be  there." 

This  opinion  of  Mrs.  Parker  seemed  to  affect  the 
man  even  more  tragically  than  the  sad  news  of  a 
while  ago.  Sadness,  disappointment  and  anger  were 
registered  in  his  face.  He  turned  this  way  and 
that,  clenched  his  fists,  raised  his  arms  as  for  a  fight, 
all  the  while  uttering  unintelligible  words  in  a  tone 


26  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

that  might  have  denoted  anything  but  praise  of  the 
Lord.     At  length  he  calmed  down. 

"To-night  meeting  sure,"  the  fellow  said ;  "no  cry, 
everybody  come,  we  fix  everything,  everything." 

Mrs.  Parker  smiled  through  her  tears.  "It  will 
be  well,"  she  said,  "if  your  meeting  will  fix  anything 
that  can  be  mended.  Do  you  expect  Gustave  Kromer 
to  be  there.?" 

"Sure,  Gustave  is  one  head  man  in  shop  commit- 
tee. Do  I  not  say  everybody  come.^^  We  fix  every- 
thing." 

The  features  and  even  the  gestures  of  the  man 
indicated  sinister  thoughts. 

"Why,  Thomas — ^Mr.  Kontar,  you  do  not  expect 
any  trouble,  big  trouble,  do  you  ?" 

"No  trouble,"  answered  the  man  with  a  lear  on 
his  face  and  his  fingers  formed  as  to  light  a  fuse. 

This  Mrs.  Parker  did  not  notice,  for  other  cus- 
tomers took  up  her  attention.  They  were  glad  to 
see  the  fellow  depart,  as  he  would  not  have  been 
a  fit  member  of  the  company  which  now  turned  to 
discuss  the  case  of  Gustave  and  Clara  once  again. 


IX 


BOARD    OF    CENSORSHIP 

Mrs.  Clancy  was  present  to  lead  the  attack,  also 
Mrs.  Switzer  to  bring  it  on. 

"See  this.?"  warned  Mrs.  Parker.  The  object 
pointed  to  was  a  little  card  displayed  in  many 
places.     It  carried  the  legend  "Nix  on  war  talk." 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  27 

"All  right,"  acquiesced  Mrs.  Clancy.  "All  I  have 
to  say  is  Gustave  Kromer  is  crazy  like  all  the  Ger- 
mans. He  is  one  of  the  ringleaders  trying  to  close 
up  the  works  of  Nanglow  &  Stillmansworth.  And 
do  you  know,  he  is  fooling  Clara  Milton.  She  is 
working  in  the  office,  and  I  guess  he  wants  to  get 
the  best  of  her  in  more  ways  than  one." 

"Clara  can  well  take  care  of  herself;  and  it  may 
be  no  fooling.  He  is  old  enough  to  marry  and  makes 
big  enough  pay,"  pleaded  one,  evidently  in  favor  of 
this  romance  being  enacted  on  the  screen  of  life. 

"I  wouldn't  want  a  German  for  son-in-law  if  he 
had  a  million  dollars." 

"There  are  others  to  take  him  with  less." 

"It's  a  shame." 

"More  shame,"  remarked  Mrs.  Switzer;  "what 
some  people  carry  on  here  to  have  Germans  killed 
in  the  old  country." 

"Well,"  ejaculated  Mrs.  Clancy,  with  a  spark  of 
fire  in  her  eyes,  "they  cannot  kill  them  fast  enough 
to  suit  me." 

Mrs.  Parker  pointed  at  her  frail  little  shield. 

"Now,"  said  a  new  voice,  "I  wouldn't  mind  his 
being  this  or  that,  but  his  looks  are  against  him, 
much  as  he  tries  to  make  of  himself." 

The  champion  of  the  pair  was  ready  with  an 
answer.  "One  good-looking  person  is  enough  in  a 
family  of  two,  and  you  all  must  allow  that  Clara 
has  a  cute  little  figure  and  a  pretty  face." 

Just  at  this  moment  the  object  of  their  solicitude 
entered  the  store.  Mrs.  Parker  greeted  her  cor- 
dially.    "How  did  you  like  the  lecture  last  night.?" 

"It  was  very  good,  indeed,"  replied  the  girl. 


28  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"I  understand,"  put  in  Mrs.  Clancy,  "many  for- 
eigners, like  Gustave  Kromer,  go  there." 

Clara's  face  flushed  slightly,  while  the  ladies  ex- 
changed a  round  of  knowing  looks.  The  girl  thought 
a  few  moments,  then  spoke  up  defiantly:  "I  like  for- 
eigners like  Gustave  Kromer!" 

"Now  what  have  you  to  say,"  inquired  the  cham- 
pion after  the  girl  had  hurried  off. 

"I  say  the  right  kind  of  people  should  flock  to- 
gether, and  that  fellow  Kromer  isn't  one  of  them," 
answered  Mrs.  Clancy  in  a  bellicose  manner;  then 
continued  her  speech,  parrying  whatever  objections 
the  company  offered.  "It  makes  no  difference  if  he 
did  work  there  before  the  war,  now  he  is  there  schem- 
ing to  do  his  worst.  Like  the  rest  of  disloyal  for- 
eigners, he  is  but  a  manikin  of  the  Kaiser.  The 
Kaiser  pulls  the  strings  and  the  whole  set  of  them 
jump  to  suit  him — I  am  not  in  love  with  the  Eng- 
lish, but  the  Kaiser  beats  all  the  brutes  in  creation, 
murdering  defenceless  men,  women  and  children. 
Yes,  America  ought  to  declare  war  on  Germany." 

"Oh,  please,"  pleaded  Mrs.  Parker,  "don't  forget 
Clara." 

"If  she  were  my  daughter,"  said  Mrs.  Clancy,  her 
voice  trembling  with  anger,  "I  would  wring  her  neck 
all  around  before  I  let  her  put  up  with  that  ugly 
Dutchman!  It  isn't  as  if  she  could  not  find  some- 
thing better  to  hook  onto.  .  .  .  Mrs.  Clorin  thinks 
the  same  way.   .   .  .  Because  we  like  the  girl.  .  .  ." 

The  sympathetic  ring  in  Mrs.  Clancy's  last  sen- 
tence caused  all  the  ladies  to  ponder  a  few  moments, 
but  they  were  still  unconvinced. 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  29 

"I  wonder,"  exclaimed  yet  a  new  voice,  "I  wonder 
what  Frank  thinks  about  it." 

"Who  is  Frank?"  inquired  a  greenhorn  there. 

Mrs.  Parker,  glad  to  get  over  the  war- talk,  has- 
tened to  explain: 

"Why,"  she  said,  "Frank  is  the  shoemaker  on 
Gardner  Street,  near  the  park,  who  speaks  seven 
different  languages.  He  can  read  your  character 
from  your  worn  shoes  better  than  the  palmist  from 
your  hand,  and  he  can  tell  the  future  from  blank 
paper  as  well  as  any  clairvoyant  from  the  cards.  I 
really  believe  he  is  a  mind  reader." 

"Pshaw!"  sneered  Mrs.  Clancy,  "if  he  is  so  very 
smart,  why  is  he  working?" 

"Ask  him,  he'll  tell  you,"  said  one  of  the  com- 
pany, then  added:  "but  we  want  his  opinion  regard- 
ing Kromer  and  Clara." 

Mrs.  Clancy  volunteered  to  bring  in  a  report  and 
the  meeting  dispersed  in  pleasurable  expectation  of 
the  next  conference. 


TEMPTATION    ABROAD 

Whether  or  not  Frank  was  a  smart  man,  he  cer- 
tainly was  peculiar.  He  would  speak  his  mind  just 
as  he  felt,  whether  people  liked  it  or  not.  This  re- 
pelled some  but  attracted  others.  People  came  to 
his  shop  when  they  wanted  his  opinion  on  public  or 
even  private  matters. 

Sometimes  they  would  drop  in  without  any  ex- 
cuse, just  for  an  argument.     Often  he  would  scold 


30  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

his  visitors,  but  they  seemed  to  like  it  and  came 
back  for  more,  feehng  the  personal  disinterestedness 
of  his  talks  and  also  sensing  truth  in  the  cobbler's 
philosophy. 

He  was  not  surprised  when,  in  the  morning,  about 
nine  o'clock,  a  luxurious  Locomobile  halted  before 
his  place.  It  was  the  new  car  of  the  Nanglows,  whose 
chauffeur  brought  work  to  Frank  occasionally.  But 
this  time  it  was  not  the  stalwart  young  man  in  a 
Norfolk  coat  of  sombre  whipcord  alighting  from  the 
vehicle.  Instead,  the  main  door  opened  and  an  old 
lady,  well  preserved,  elegantly  dressed,  and  pains- 
takingly groomed,  emerged  from  the  car  and  came 
toward  the  shop. 

Frank  surmised  that  she  was  Mrs.  Nanglow.  He 
hastened  to  shove  aside  a  few  signs  of  disorder,  hur- 
riedly wiped  off  a  part  of  the  dust  from  the  old 
office  chair  that  served  for  customers  while  waiting, 
and  also  for  visitors  while  discussing  anything  under 
or  beyond  the  sun. 

"Thank  you,  I  will  not  sit  down,"  replied  the 
lady  to  the  cobbler's  most  courteous  offer  of  a  seat. 
"I  just  came  in  to  ask  if  you  care  to  sign  this  card." 
She  handed  him  a  slip,  the  heavy  print  on  which 
propounded  the  question:  "WILL  YOU  STAND 
FOR  AMERICA  FIRST?" 

Philosophical  though  he  was,  the  cobbler's  heart 
beat  in  resentment.  It  was  like  questioning  his  hon- 
esty, integrity  and  rectitude,  like  doubting  his  very 
purpose  in  life !  He  deliberated  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, then  said,  slowly  and  decisively:  "Why,  this 
is  a  fine  way  to  make  certain  people  add  lying  to 
their  disloyalty.     Do  you  think  that  rascals  balk  at 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  31 

falsehood?  But  if  you  meant  to  honor  me  by  your 
visit,  I  may  as  well  tell  you  that  I  will  stand  for 
humanity  first  of  all  !'* 

"Don't  you  think  America  stands  for  that?" 

"As  much  as  it  does,  I  certainly  do.  But  what 
about  those  who  don't?  One  of  your  neighbors, 
who  was  first  to  turn  his  front  lawn  into  a  potato 
patch,  sued  some  company  for  four  million  dollars 
commission — mind  you,  just  commission — on  a  single 
French  war  contract.  Do  you  know  anything  about 
that?     Do  such  fellows  mean  to   serve  humanity?" 

Mrs.  Nanglow  knew  all  about  that  affair.  Her 
husband  was  one  of  a  closely  interested  group  and 
the  court's  award  went  against  the  defendants  to  the 
not  insignificant  sum  of  $800,000.  Still,  she  had  a 
word  of  defence  for  the  transaction. 

"Big  industry  works  on  a  big  scale.  Gains  seem 
big  but  losses  are  big  in  proportion.  Anyhow,  we 
all  must  stick  together  to  protect  our  country  and 
this  slip  only  means " 

"For  the  country !  I'll  give  my  shirt  and  then  my 
skin  for  the  country,  but  I  want  to  know  it's  for 
the  country,  not  for  million  dollar  commissions. 
Where  a  man's  treasure  is,  there  is  his  heart  also. 
Profiting  by  the  miseries  of  other  lands,  planning  to 
capture  foreign  markets  or  other  nations'  jobs  and 
scheming  military  protection  for  such  acquisition — 
do  you  call  that  humanity?" 

It  was  much  easier  for  Frank  to  start  his  flow  of 
speech  than  to  stop  it,  and  though  he  saw  that  Mrs. 
Nanglow  felt  uncomfortable,  he  went  on  without  a 
pause.  "Similar  slogans  urged  other  nations  to  ex- 
terminate  each   other   and   to   devastate    the   earth. 


32  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

When  it  comes  to  building  a  skimpy  shelter  for 
decrepits  we  vote  three  times,  but  in  spending  bil- 
lions for  a  campaign  of  slaughter,  somebody  else  will 
do  the  voting  for  me  and  you,  too,  for  that  matter !" 

"Now,  you  listen  to  me  for  a  second,"  Mrs.  Nan- 
glow  said,  as  she  prepared  to  leave.  "If  you  want 
to  get  on  and  up  in  this  world  you  must  know  its 
ways.  I  leave  this  slip  here  for  you  to  sign.  If  you 
do,  mail  it  to  me  and  soon  you  may  find  yourself 
the  owner  of  this  building." 

"What? — this  building  is  held  at  twenty  thousand 
dollars!" 

"Whatever  the  cost,  Mr.  Nanglow  will  turn  it 
over  to  you  in  recognition  of  your  services." 

Frank  touched  his  head  to  feel  if  he  was  awake. 
"What  services.?" 

"Keep  your  friend  Kromer  from  being  a  trouble- 
maker."   With  that,  the  lady  left. 

For  half  a  minute  or  more  Frank  stood  dazed  at 
so  bold  an  expression  of  bribery.  An  impulse  of 
resentment  made  him  reach  for  the  paper  slip,  but 
instead  of  tearing  it  into  shreds,  he  took  the  missive 
from  his  work-table  and  put  it  on  his  little  writing 
desk. 

It  was  his  habit,  when  overwhelmed  with  disgust  or 
misery,  to  seek  for  his  own  share  of  fault  in  the  case. 
If  he  could  discern  the  least  particle  of  wrong  in  his 
own  attitude,  or  trace  negligence  in  his  own  con- 
duct, the  most  painful  corjsequence  immediately  lost 
its  bitterness.  Such  suffering  seemed  a  just  punish- 
ment, to  be  borne  almost  gladly,  because  out  of  it 
grew  the  light  of  just  conceptions. 

How,  and  when,  and  to  whom  did  he  ever  convey 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  33 

the  notion  of  his  being  open  to  a  bribe?  And  all  for 
this !  The  cobbler  sank  on  his  stool  and  took  to 
work,  which  for  him  was  a  sure  means  of  consolation. 
His  thoughts  kept  a-whirring.  His  eyes  grew  damp, 
then  a  tear  trickled  down  his  cheek,  a  by-product 
of  the  brain  process  which  turns  a  bitter  experience 
into  a  pearl  of  wisdom. 

"People  can  see  only  with  the  eyes  they  have,"  he 
murmured.  "I  will  see  with  mine."  With  so  much 
of  a  decision  reached,  his  arm  grew  lighter  and  he 
worked  on  rapidly. 


XI 


SOLEASCOPE,    OR    DIVINATION    BY    SHOES 

Chief  among  Frank's  peculiarities  was  his  dis- 
position and  ability  to  tell  one's  fortune  by  his  or 
her  worn  shoes.  Really,  as  literary  critics  would 
state  the  situation,  this  was  the  fulcrum  of  his  fame — 
the  main  prop  of  his  reputation. 

On  finding  him  talkative,  people  asked  his  opinion 
on  astrology.  They  brought  in  readings  or  horo- 
scopes, not  altogether  void  of  sense.  These  prog- 
nostications filled  two  sheets  in  imitation  typewrit- 
ing and  contained  allusions  to  jealousies,  rivalries 
and  annoyances,  also  they  alluded  to  expecta- 
tions, modes  of  help  and  lucky  turns  within  general 
experience.  But  throughout  the  small  talk  there 
were  dispersed  fine  deductions  of  sound  principles. 
Seeing  the  people  and  knowing  them,  Frank  could  do 
still  more  and  better.  Mostly  for  the  fun  of  it,  he 
attributed  the  information  he  gave  to  the  tale-telling 


34  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

worn  shoes.     However,  the  claim  was  not  entirely 
void  of  justification. 

"Look,"  he  would  say,  "the  Astrologer  has  only 
a  dozen  constellations,  all  in  practically  changeless 
position,  and  scores  of  light  years  away  by  which 
to  make  up  his  deductions  concerning  traits  of  char- 
acter that  have  nothing  to  do  with  stars  of  the 
heavenly  kind ;  whereas,  a  worn  shoe  bears  a  thousand 
direct  individual  marks,  including  choice,  size,  etc., 
also  the  very  strongest  imprint  of  the  user's  per- 
sonality." 

Soon  people  came,  without  shoes,  to  have  their 
fortunes  told,  offering  pay  for  the  service ;  but  Frank 
refused,  preferring  to  stick  to  his  last  and  indulge 
his  "propensity  for  the  occult"  when  person,  time 
and  circumstances  combinedly  produced  a  reason 
and  a  mood  for  it. 

Scarcely  half  an  hour  after  Mrs.  Nanglow  left 
his  place,  Mrs.  Clancy  entered,  bringing  a  pair  of 
old  shoes  to  be  repaired.  "I  recommended  you  to 
Mrs.  Clorin,  the  fashionable  physician's  wife;  now, 
I  want  you  to  do  something  for  me,"  pleaded  Mrs. 
Clancy,  with  all  the  charm  she  could  muster.  "What 
can  you  tell  by  these  shoes?" 

"I  am  obliged  to  you  for  your  disinterested  kind- 
ness," answered  Frank.  "I  would  rather  not  talk 
this  morning.  I  have  received  a  tough  jolt  and  more 
of  it  seems  coming.     Maybe  some  other  time." 

"Just  try,  Mrs.  Dora  Parker  thought  you  would." 

"Mrs.  Dora  Parker,"  said  Frank,  in  a  softened 
voice.  "I  do  not  want  to  disappoint  you  two.  Sit 
over  here  in  the  easy  chair.  I'll  try  my  best."  Then 
he  examined  the  shoes  or  pretended  to  do  so. 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  35 

"The  owner  of  these  shoes,"  the  cobbler  began, 
"feels  that  she  is  as  good  as  any  lady  in  this  city." 

"You  struck  it,"  broke  in  Mrs.  Clancy. 

"By  the  style  of  the  shoes  I  can  see  that  their 
owner  has  occasion  to  appear  in  high-toned  society, 
or  at  least  before  some  of  its  members." 

"Struck  it  again." 

"By  some  other  thing  I  see  that  she  cannot  well 
afford  such  acquaintanceship." 

"That's  true,  too." 

"Owing  to  dissatisfaction  on  this  score,  her  temper 
lacks  sweetness." 

"Is  that  so.?" 

"And  whoever  happens  to  cross  it  gets  a  tongue- 
lashing  or  worse." 

"Don't  let  them  be  cross." 

"Life  holds  for  the  owner  of  these  shoes  great 
surprises,  some  of  them  very  pleasant " 

"That's  lovely." 

"Some  of  them  were  best  avoided." 

"What  do  you  mean.'"' 

"The  soles  of  these  shoes  carry  the  mark  of 
asphalt,  freshly  laid  a  week  ago,  just  before  noon 
hour,  in  front  of  the  Elite  Clubhouse." 

"What  of  it?" 

"Hubby  was  told  not  to  come  home  for  dinner." 

"What's  the  matter  with  you?" 

"Only  this,  that  I  say  what  I  should.  One  who 
will  tell  people  what  they  want  to  hear,  in  a  man- 
ner which  they  are  accustomed  to  regard  with  awe 
and  confidence,  can  keep  three  dozen  stenographers 
busy  sending  out  ready  forms  from  a  sumptuous 
office,   and   employ   a  man,   for  days   at  a   time  in 


36  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

the  post  office,  signing  for  registered  letters  bring- 
ing the  money.  I  am  not  of  that  kind.  We  can  quit 
right  now." 

"No,  no,  no,  go  on." 

"So,  in  a  roundabout  way,  the  ambition  of  the 
wife  may  bring  on  dizziness  in  the  head  of  the  hus- 
band, which  dizziness  occurring  in  certain  altitudes, 
may  bring  on  fatal  results." 

"Now,  you  shut  up!  My  husband  works  on  the 
third  floor  of  the  new  addition   at  Nanglow's." 

"Shut  up!  That's  the  thanks  I  receive!  Please 
remember  that  I  am  a  shoemaker,  not  a  clairvoyant." 

"You  seem  to  be  both,  and  you  may  be  something 
else  besides !  Is  it  true  that  Gustave  Kromer  is  a 
friend  of  yours?" 

"Yes,  he  is  passing  a  dozen  repair  shops  to  bring 
me  work;  surely  that  is  a  friend.  Besides,  he  is  a 
good  fellow  with  rather  less  faults  than  the  average 
person  must  own  up  to." 

"Good  enough  to  marry  Clara  Milton.''" 

"If  she  thinks  so,  and  I  think  she  does." 

"Nonsense;  a  girl  of  twenty  does  not  know  her 
own  mind,  much  less  how  to  judge  a  man  right." 

"Some  never  learn  as  much  as  that.    Kromer " 

as  if  by  conjuration,  the  man  mentioned  just  then 
entered  the  cobbler's  place.  The  young  man's  face 
had  a  troubled  expression.  He  was  careworn  and 
in  a  dejected  mood.  He  greeted  the  cobbler  with 
a  quiet,  sober  "Hello,  Frank,"  then  settled  down  on 
one  of  the  stools.  Both  Frank  and  Mrs.  Clancy  felt 
that  Kromer  had  something  very  serious  on  his 
mind.  The  lady  could  not  very  well  continue  with 
her  task.     Besides,  a  chord  of  pity  was  touched  in 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  37 

her  heart  by  the  young  man's  love-sick  appearance 
(though  the  real  matter  with  him  just  then  was 
altogether  different).  She  bade  the  cobbler  "Good- 
day,"  and  after  leaving  the  place  she  pondered 
whether  the  sadness  in  Kromer's  face  was  a  sign  of 
true  love,  and  if  so,  whether  or  not  it  should  be 
thwarted   after  all. 

XII 

EVENTS     IN     THE     MOULDING 

"Come  over  here,"  called  Frank  to  his  young  visi- 
tor immersed  in  sadness,  "maybe  the  easy-chair  will 
ease  your  mind." 

Kromer  dropped  in  the  proffered  seat  and  mur- 
mured: "No  use,  no  earthly  use." 

"What  painted  the  world  all  blue  for  you  to-day.?" 

"It  isn't  painted,  it  is  blue  through  and  through !" 

"Vision  is  deceiving  sometimes — perhaps  I  can  help 
adjust  your  glasses." 

Kromer  smiled  wearily.  He  remembered  how  often 
he  went  out  of  Frank's  place  wiser  than  he  came  in, 
and  he  felt  a  sort  of  satisfaction  that  he  could  con- 
front him  with  a  hopeless  situation. 

"Haven't  I  tried  and  tried.?  For  years  the  men 
have  been  grumbling  and  planning  to  unionize  the 
place.  Unionize !  It  is  one  of  the  things  for  which 
you  are  blamed  if  you  do  it  and  blamed  if  you  don't. 
Your  talks  made  me  choose  as  I  did.  But  for  your 
arguments,  I  could  have  never  stood  all  I  had  to 
stand  from  Americans  and  greenhorns  alike.  At  last 
Dave  Norling — you  know  him,  don't  you.? — at  last 
he  took  hold  of  matters.     He  was  born  and  raised 


38  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

in  this  city  and  everybody  has  confidence  in  him. 
After  a  lot  of  work  we  managed  to  get  all  nationali- 
ties together  and  arranged  for  a  big  mass  meeting 
in  Clarendon  Hall  to-night,  but  I  guess  it's  all  gone 
to  smash " 

"Smash!   why?" 

"I  told  you  Dave  Norling  is  the  one  man  in  whom 
all  have  confidence.  Last  night  his  baby  died,  and 
with  his  baby  he  lost  his  heart  and  head.  He  says 
he  doesn't  care  a  rap  for  the  whole  world  and  wants 
to  be  let  alone.  Now  our  movement  will  end  in  a 
fizzle  and  people  will  say,  "Gustave,  I  told  you  that 
you  were  crazy!" 

"Will  that  prove  their  saying  true.?  The  thing 
isn't  so  hollow  that  it  must  cave  in.  Norling,  of 
course,  is  overcome  now,  but  he  may  rally  somewhat 
by  to-night.  If  not,  there  must  be  others  to  take 
his  place.  Why,  if  the  first  line  of  defense  fails,  are 
all  the  others  thereby  obliterated.'^" 

"We  have  no  others.  Before  the  war  the  green- 
horns, mostly  Hungarians,  worked  cheap,  lowering 
the  American  standard  of  living,  while  others,  espe- 
cially the  Canadians,  talked  about  industrial  union- 
ism, sabotage  and  the  like.  Now  the  Hungarians  are 
wild  for  a  strike,  and  make  wild  demands,  whereas 
the  Canadians  are  sullen  and  want  to  prevent  it  by 
all  means.  I  like  my  own  people,  but  at  the  same 
time  I  want  to  do  what  is  right.  These  men  talk 
about  labor  problems  when  all  they  care  for  is  their 
little  selves  or  small  nationality.  No  sense,  no  soli- 
darity, no  leader — it's  all  a  fizzle,  wasted  time  and 
effort;  no  use,  no  use!" 

"Hush,"   cried   the   cobbler,    and   the   quickening 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  39 

strokes  of  his  hammer  gave  a  musical  accompaniment 
to  his  impatience.  "Humanity  worked  and  fought 
its  way  from  out  the  jungle  and  the  cave,  and  would 
you  now,  all  of  a  sudden,  have  everything  finished 
complete  and  nothing  to  improve,  nothing  to  do  but 
to  float  with  the  sound-waves  of  a  self-playing  heav- 
enly harp?     What  would  you " 

"I  haven't  told  you  the  worst  yet." 

"Perhaps  I  should  not  know  it." 

"Well,  the  information  may  come  to  you  with  an 
awful  bang!" 

The  cobbler's  hammer  paused  again.  "What.?  I 
have  heard  rumors  about  blowing  up  the  plant;  do 
yoa  have  a  hand  in  that.?" 

"Why  should  I?  How  could  1?  You  know  that 
I  do  not  believe  in  breaking  a  head  to  make  it  whole. 
My  livelihood  is  in  the  plant  and " 

"A  certain  young  lady.  I  believe  you.  Potentates 
would  declare  war  less  often  if  their  own  lives  and 
the  lives  of  their  loved  ones  were  to  be  forfeited  in 
the  opening  of  the  game.    What  makes  you  fear  foul 

play?" 

"I  can  scarcely  tell.  Twice  I  saw  a  fellow,  Thomas 
Kontar,  prowling  around  the  building  when  he  had 
no  business  to  be  there.  If  the  plants  close,  he  gets 
a  free  hand,  and  how  can  I  tell  what  comes  of  it?" 

"So  much  the  more  reason  for  you  to  take  hold." 

"You  are  a  good  jollier.  I  wonder  if  you  are 
always  as  cheerful,  contented  and  brave  as  you  seem 
when  I  see  you." 

"I  know  other  feelings  besides  cheer  and  I  do  not 
brag  about  my  bravery,  and  I  am  far  from  being 
satisfied  with  everything  under  the  sun.     But  I  do 


40  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

not  believe  in  throwing  up  the  sponge  while  I  can 
swing  the  hammer  like  this." 

Frank  pounded  a  few  strokes  in  strong  crescendo, 
then  continued :  "You  are  younger  and  stronger  than 
I.  Failure  should  not  come  for  lack  of  a  leader  while 
you  are  around." 

"Me?  I  was  born  in  Marburg.  They  would  say 
that  I  am  Prussian  and  that  I  was  paid  by  the  Ger- 
man Government!" 

"I  know  of  one  who  besides  saying  all  that  and 
more,  would  pay  twenty  thousand  dollars  to  keep 
you  from  doing  what  you  can " 

"You  know  what  you  mean  by  that;  I  don't. 
Can't  you  see  that  Canadians  and  Italians  would 
break  away  and  that  would  be  the  end  of  it.^^" 

"Talk  to  them." 

"They  won't  believe  me,  they  can't  understand. 
They  are  ignorant,  stupid  and  so  blinded  by  silly 
selfishness  that  they  could  not  recognize  their  true 
benefit  if  it  floated  in  a  magnifying  bowl.  No  use 
trying  to  do  anything  for  the  crowds;  they  are 
doomed  to  misery  and  will  stay  there  forever." 

Frank's  hammering  ceased.  Now  he  spoke  delib- 
erately: "Why  not  try  conclusions?  Explain  to 
them  that  they  are  not  organized  to  serve  one  gov- 
ernment or  the  other,  but  for  furthering  their  own 
interest  and  the  general  well-being  of  the  community. 
Tell  them  that  if  it  took  a  world  war  to  make  some 
workers  bold  enough  to  strive  for  better  conditions, 
it  should  not  make  others  bury  their  righteous 
demands." 

"You  are  the  man!"  Kromer  exclaimed,  and  his 
face  lit  up  as  a  sea  captain's  when  he  finds  a  way 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  41 

to  save  the  sinking  ship.  "You  can  speak  French 
and  German.  You  can  counsel  one  to  go  ahead  and 
the  other  not  to  rush  at  breakneck  speed.  I  will 
have  a  committee  officially  invite  you.  Now,  Frank, 
prove  your  talks  by  helping  us  to-night.    Will  you.?" 

The  two  men  clasped  hands. 

"I  am  not  accustomed  to  public  speaking,"  said 
Frank,  "but  now  it  is  a  case  of  must.  I'll  think 
things  over.  Come  in  after  a  while,  then  we  may 
talk  things  over." 

"Oh,  you  are  all  right." 


XIII 

UNLOOKED-FOR    AMBITION 

Thomas  Kontar  was  the  last  man  on  earth  whom 
you  would  have  thought  a  schemer  of  destruction 
and — a  dreamer  of  royal  emoluments ;  yet,  he  was 
both  in  no  small  degree.  He  was  employed  in 
one  of  the  shops  as  a  sweeper.  From  the  meagre 
pay  of  one  dollar  and  thirty-five  cents  a  day  he 
accumulated  the  incredible  sum  of  two  thousand  dol- 
lars. He  intended  to  work  but  a  few  more  years, 
then  retire  and  live  on  the  interest  of  his  capital, 
which  was  ample  to  support  him  in  one  of  the  vil- 
lages of  his  native  land.  Economically,  he  would 
have  been  on  a  footing  with  the  notary,  the  store- 
keeper, and  the  priest;  why  could  he  not  overcome 
the  social  barriers  also.? 

Stretched  on  a  cot  in  a  dilapidated  shanty  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  town,  Thomas  speculated  on  his 
problem.     One  morning  it  occurred  to  him  that  the 


42  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

war  brought  many  obscure  persons  into  social  prom- 
inence.   Why  not  seek  advancement  along  that  track? 

War  is  war,  he  reasoned,  but  if  nations  must 
fight  each  other,  it  is  certainly  best  that  one's  own 
people  should  win  out.  All  the  world  seems  to  re- 
spect a  fighter,  no  matter  what  he  fights  about ;  why 
should  he  not  take  a  hand,  especially  since  he  could 
accomplish  much  with  scarcely  any  risk  at  all?  He 
had  access  to  the  cellars  of  a  munition  plant  and 
knew  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  complicated  laby- 
rinth. A  timely  explosion  would  stop  the  manufac- 
turing of  munitions,  which  were  turned  out  in  stag- 
gering quantities  and  shipped  to  the  enemy  nations. 
Who  knows  but  this  stroke  might  make  them  all 
throw  up  their  hands?  Suppose  it  happens  so.  He 
would  go  home  and  be  received  with  public  celebra- 
tions. Newspapers  throughout  the  country  would 
extol  his  deed.  Men,  women  and  children  would  gaze 
at  him  in  wonderment  and  awe.  Why  not?  Had  he 
not  saved  the  country  and  the  crown?  He  might  be 
made  a  Baron  or  raised  to  even  higher  dignity  and 
enter  the  Casino  of  the  Nobility  as  Count  Kontar! 
Under  the  intensity  of  his  thoughts  his  lips  pro- 
nounced the  name  aloud,  and  startled  by  his  own 
voice,  he  woke  up  from  his  day-dream,  then  pondered 
realities. 

The  outlying  powder-shed  could  be  touched  off 
easily,  but  to  accomplish  the  desired  end  the  office 
buildings  had  to  be  wrecked  also.  In  preparing  for 
this,  Kontar  was  continually  handicapped  by  a  fel- 
low employee  who  was  always  nosing  nearby.  A 
cessation  of  work,  even  if  only  for  a  few  days,  might 
bring  on  the  longed-for  opportunity.     Therefore,  he 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  43 

concentrated  his  energies  to  help  bring  about  a 
strike.  He  worked  indefatigably,  ingratiating  him- 
self in  the  favor  of  the  leaders  by  doing  any  amount 
of  work  required  for  the  cause  and  urging  them  on- 
ward by  his  own  exemplary  devotion. 

Now,  the  day  of  deciding  had  arrived,  but  the 
prospects  were  not  too  alluring.  Thomas  made  up 
his  mind  not  to  let  Norling  succumb  to  the  blow 
that  had  fallen  upon  him.  For  the  first  time  since 
he  had  been  employed  in  the  large  plant,  Thomas 
asked  for  a  day  off.  At  eleven  o'clock  he  started  on 
a  visit  to  Norling.  His  way  led  him  through  Gardner 
Street.  Passing  the  cobbler,  Thomas  was  amazed  to 
see  Stillmansworth  leave  the  place  in  a  rush  (which 
was  his  usual  manner).  The  cobbler  appeared  in 
the  door  with  a  yellow  piece  of  paper  in  his  hand 
as  if  wanting  to  hand  it  to  the  man  who  was  leaving, 
and  who,  by  this  time,  was  in  his  automobile  whisk- 
ing away  in  the  distance.  Thomas,  trembling  for  his 
cherished  plans  and  elated  at  having  some  special 
report  to  make,  hastened  on  his  delicate  errand. 

XIV 

THE     VICTIM     OF     BATTLE 

The  home  of  Norling  was  bleak  and  desolate. 
Thomas  hardly  dared  to  venture  a  knock  on  the 
hallway  door  at  the  backstairs  of  the  second  floor 
in  a  frame  tenement  where  the  leader  was  mourning 
his  loss.  But  urged  on  by  his  cause  the  visitor 
rapped  a  few  times  slowly;  receiving  no  answer,  he 
ventured  to  open  the  door  a  little.     Peeping  in,  he 


44  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

saw  the  leader  with  stooping  head  and  parched  lips, 
pacing  the  floor  in  the  hallway.  He  waited  till  Nor- 
ling  came  his  way.  Hat  in  hand  Thomas  advanced 
a  few  steps  softly  and  said:  "Mr.  Norling,  I  always 
like  you  much.  What  may  please  you  that  I  can 
do.?" 

It  happened  to  be  a  moment  when  a  fresh  tor- 
rent of  tears  had  gathered  in  the  eyes  of  the  unfor- 
tunate father.  He  tried  to  master  them  with  a 
gulping  throat.  "Thomas,  good  fellow,  come  in,"  he 
said  and  led  his  visitor  into  a  small  room  where,  on 
a  little  bed,  lay  the  cold  body  of  a  perfectly  formed 
child.  At  the  sight  of  his  dead  baby,  Norling  broke 
out  sobbing  convulsively.  Thomas  hung  his  head; 
when  he  looked  up,  his  eyes,  too,  were  filled  with  tears. 

"But  boy  was  all  right  few  days  ago ;  what  is  the 

doctors   say.'^" 

"The  doctors  say  what  they  please  and  we  must 
take  their  word  for  it,"  replied  Norling  with  bitter- 
ness; then,  as  if  his  accusation  might  not  be  just, 
he  related  the  case.  "Yes,  a  few  days  ago  my  child 
was  prancing  around  full  of  vitality.  Day  before 
yesterday,  he  was  taken  sick — maybe,  if  we  had 
called  a  doctor  right  then  he  could  have  saved  the 
little  fellow.  But  we  didn't  think  the  trouble  serious. 
Yesterday  we  called  in  Dr.  Clorin;  he  treats  promi- 
nent people  and  Mrs.  Clancy  said  he  was  the  best  man 
to  call.  Maybe,  if  he  had  come  right  away,  it  would 
have  been  better.  He  came  late  in  the  evening,  gave 
the  child  some  medicine  and  told  me  to  be  on  the 
watch  and  if  I  notice  puffs  appearing  under  baby's 
eyes  to  call  him  again.  I  called  him  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  night.    He  came.    I  could  see  by  his  face  that 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  45 

my  child  was  lost.     He  seemed  to  feel  as  badly  as  I. 

He  told  me  to  watch  and  hope  and "     Norling 

broke  out  sobbing  again. 

Thomas  wept  in  sympathy.  Once  upon  a  time  he 
had  buried  a  baby  of  his  own.  He  remembered  the 
agony  of  those  days.  The  body  unfit  to  take  nour- 
ishment, the  heart  in  hopeless  revolt  against  powers 
that  cannot  be  assailed,  the  throbbing  brain  stran- 
gled by  darkness  and  despair.  The  memory  of  it  all 
made  him  cry  even  as  the  other  man. 

Norling  was  deeply  affected  by  the  presence  of 
sympathy  which  appeared  as  genuine  as  it  was  unex- 
pected. It  was  like  putting  an  additional  lever  under 
a  weight  nearly  crushing  his  mind.  He  quieted  down, 
invited  Thomas  to  the  other  room,  offered  him  a  seat 
and  asked,  "Good  Thomas,  what  can  I  do  for  you.'^" 

"You  always  can  do  for  everybody  and  nobody 
can  do  something  for  you,"  said  Thomas,  drying  his 
tears.  "Me  lose  a  baby  because  have  no  coal ;  maybe 
your  nice  boy  could  live  in  better  house." 

"Maybe,  who  knows?" 

"Mr.  Norling,  is  not  more  sure  to  live  for  every 
baby  in  better  house?  Kromer  say  you  not  care 
any  more.  I  don't  believe.  Will  you  not  please  help 
for  the  many  babies  depending  for  success  to-night?" 

The  human  chords  in  Norling's  heart  were  touched 
by  the  primitive  pleadings  of  Thomas,  who  adroitly 
drew  the  interest  of  the  leader  back  to  the  wonted 
channels  of  his  life.  "You  can  make  better  chance 
to  thousand  babies  and  more — Everybody  believe  you 
— Not  say  a  word,  if  men  see  you  they  hold  together 
— Kromer,  I  like  him  but  his  shoemaker  friend  is 
funny — when  I  come  here  I  see  the  boss  come  out 


46  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

from  Frank's  store — Yes,  sure,  Mr.  Stillmansworth. 
Sure,  I  know  him,  I  work  there  fifteen  years.  I  see 
him,  the  boss ;  and  I  see  the  shoemaker  in  the  door,  he 
have  money  in  his  hand.  .  .  .  Yes,  yellow  money. 
Sure,  I  believe  Kromer  is  all  right,  but  you  please 
not  leave  us  in  trouble  to  lose!" 

"Well,  Thomas,  I  will  try  my  best.  Tell  the  dele- 
gates they  may  expect  me  and  you  go  and  keep  an 
eye  on  the  cobbler's  place." 


XV 


TANGLE     OF     NATIONALITIES 

Thomas  attended  to  his  duties  like  a  seasoned  de- 
tective. .  .  .  He  patroled  Gardner  Street  without 
making  himself  conspicuous  and  utilized  his  time  by 
contemplating  all  the  possibilities  of  his  case.  Even 
if  his  actions  were  found  out  before  he  could  leave 
these  shores  and  he  were  caught  and  jailed,  he  could 
expect  a  better  living  than  he  had  had.  The  greater 
the  crash  he  could  bring  about,  the  more  his  country 
men  would  admire  him.  They  would  send  him  com- 
forting letters,  collect  money  for  his  defense,  procure 
for  him  all  the  comforts  possible  to  have,  manipulate 
their  votes  to  liberate  him,  and  if  the  worst  were  to 
happen  he  would  be  celebrated  as  a  hero  for  ages 
to  come!  If  only  in  the  carrying  out  of  his  plans 
he  might  not  be  thwarted — and  by  whom?  Another 
sweeper,  Giordano  Credolini.  The  longer  Thomas 
thought  of  the  fellow,  the  more  he  hated  the  grin- 
ning Italian.     As   Thomas   remembered   Credolini's 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  47 

nosing  around,  his  jaunty  manners,  his  boasting  of 
a  rich  uncle,  his  parading  in  stylish  clothes,  every- 
thing about  the  man  was  disgusting.  Should  such 
a  man  stand  between  him  and  a  career  of  glory? 
.  .  .  Sinister  thoughts  bubbled  up  in  his  mind.  For 
a  time  they  sank  back  into  the  mysterious  reservoir 
from  which  they  had  sprung.  A  strike  would  keep 
Credolini  away,  while  he  himself  could  steal  into  the 
cellars  and  finish  his  work.  ...  All  his  hopes  cen- 
tered on  a  strike  which  was  made  a  certainty  by 
Norling's  participation.  Thomas  fell  to  dreaming 
out  all  the  details  of  the  celebration  likely  to  he 
accorded  to  him  and  even  formulated  a  speech  he 
would  make  to  a  deputation  of  University  students, 
making  their  obeisance  with  a  laurel  wreath.  .  .  . 
At  last  his  steady  watchfulness  was  rewarded. 
About  two  o'clock  he  saw  Kromer  going  in  to  the 
cobbler.  Five  minutes  later  a  buxom,  dark-haired 
Jewess  escorted  by  a  middle-aged  man  of  her  own 
race  entered  Frank's  place.  In  a  little  while  an  old 
Italian  with  a  big  red-cross  band  on  his  arm  increased 
the  number  of  those  inside  the  cobbler's.  After  an- 
other few  minutes  a  neat  young  lady — Miss  Clara 
Milton — entered  the  place. 

Thomas  decided  it  was  time  for  him  to  find  out 
what  all  those  people  were  doing;  he  too  went  in. 
There  was  one  vacant  chair  which  Frank  offered  to 
the  newcomer  who  completed  a  semi-circle  around 
the  bench. 

Frank  was  busy  sewing  up  the  ripped  edges  of  a 
small  hand-bag,  that  is,  he  was  busy  talking  while 
now  and  then  drawing  out  his  two  arms  at  full  length 
in  the  completion  of  a  stitch.     "Please  sit  down," 


48  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

said  he  to  the  new-comer,  pointing  to  the  one  vacant 
chair,  "I  will  soon  be  ready  with  this." 

"How  soon?"  asked  Miss  Milton,  who  was  sent 
there  for  the  hand-bag  Stillmansworth  had  left  for 
repairing. 

"Just  a  few  minutes,  please  have  patience.  Look 
here,  see  what  patience  I  must  have."  He  took  out 
a  few  soiled  papers  from  the  drawer  of  his  bench 
and  continued:  "Look,  here  is  a  card  asking  me  to 
stand  for  America  first,  no  matter  what  the  seven- 
thousand-dollar-a-year-pork-barrel  politicians  would 
have  us  do — unto  others.  Here  I  am  invited  to  adopt 
a  French  orphan  by  helping  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  its  raising.  This  is  an  urgent  call  for  donations 
to  the  German  Bazaar.  This  is  an  appeal  for  Bel- 
gian Charity,  here  is  one  for  Polish  Relief,  and  here 
is  my  old  friend  Palento  asking  me  to  help  pay  for 
an  Italian  Red  Cross  ambulance,  and  there  my  young, 
little  friend  Rachel  wants  to  collect  of  me  for  the 
war-stricken  Jews " 

"You  must  not  give  much,"  remarked  Rachel's 
escort;  "surely  the  Jews  did  not  make  the  war." 

"No,  nor  did  they  refuse  to  participate  in  it,  no 
more,  not  as  much,  as  some  of  the  rest.  Of  course, 
they  could  not;  like  the  great  mass  of  the  others 
they  are  but  cogs  in  the  war  machines  ;  but  you  could, 
and  yet  you  spend  your  time  in  an  effort  tending  to 
prolong  the  world's  agony.  .  .  .  Yes,  it  does.  Is  not 
the  cheering  multitude  at  a  prize  fight  promoting  the 
game?  And  those  who  fan  the  fighters  and  rub  their 
aching  joints  to  stand  more  jolts,  are  they  not  pro- 
longing the  savage  contest  of  the  ring?" 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  49 

"Well,"  said  Rachel  with  a  sob  in  her  voice,  "shall 
we  let  them  all  starve?" 

"You  let  them  do  worse  things  than  starve.  You 
let  them  shoot,  stab,  torture,  kill,  waste,  demolish, 
and  blight  the  lives  of  those  who  remain  to  tell  the 
story.  ...  Of  course,  you  cannot  prevent  it,  but 
why  encourage  the  horrible  carnage?  Yes,  you  do. 
What  is  the  matter  with  you  all?  Do  you  want  to 
make  this  land  an  extension  war-ground  for  the  un- 
chained murderous  passions  of  old  Europe?  Will 
you  go  a  step  further — "  A  thought  crossed  his 
mind,  a  thought  so  terrible  that  he  did  not  dare  to 
express  it  for  fear  of  its  effect  as  a  suggestion.  He 
swallowed  the  sentence,  a  circumstance  which  gave 
the  Italian  a  chance  to  put  in  a  word. 

"No,  no,  no,  not  so,  Mr.  Frank;  it  is  not  for 
hurting  other  nation ;  Italian  red-cross  ambulance  is 
for  helping  the  sick;  it  is  all  compassion." 

"Yes,  compassion  it  would  be  if  ItaHans  would 
collect  for  Austrians,  the  Germans  for  the  French, 
and  so  on.  But  no,  each  little  sect,  each  little  creed, 
each  little  nationahty  is  huddling  together  for  its 
own  little  sake  only.  You  are  all  swayed  by  a  sav- 
age ancestral  hurricane.  You  may  yet  be  blown 
further  and — "  again  Frank  stopped  short  of  ex- 
pressing the  fearful  idea  which  came  back  with 
redoubled  force:  "No,"  he  concluded  abruptly,  "I 
will  not  help  madmen  and  fools  to  let  them  indulge 
in  madness  and  folly  longer.  It  were  better  for  all 
of  us  to  keep  still  for  some  time,"  saying  this  he 
looked  Kromer  full  in  the  face. 

"Come,  Rachel,"  her  escort  said,  "he  is  meshugge:' 
Palento  also  left,  no  wiser,  though  not  displeased. 


50  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

By  this  time  the  hand-bag  was  ready.  Clara  paid 
for  it  fifty  cents  and  turned  to  go. 

"Wait  a  minute,"  exclaimed  Frank.  He  fished  out 
of  his  drawer  a  folded  piece  of  yellow  paper,  put  it 
in  an  envelope  which  he  closed  loosely,  addressed  the 
letter  and  handed  it  to  Clara,  saying:  "Please  give 
this  to  Mr.  Stillmansworth."  Thomas  looked  at  Kro- 
mer,  as  if  to  say  "He  is  in  with  the  bosses,"  and  ran 
off.  Kromer  rose  suddenly,  bade  Frank  good-day, 
and  opened  the  door,  permitting  Clara  to  step  out 
first.  "May  I  go  with  you — please.?"  he  asked,  plead- 
ingly. "Pleased  to  have  you,"  she  replied,  "very 
much  pleased."  Frank  saw  them  turn  toward  the 
park. 

XVI 

LOVE  CONQUERS  PREJUDICE 

Gustave  Kromer,  on  finding  himself  on  the  street 
at  the  side  of  Clara,  felt  a  new  kind  of  thumping  in 
his  breast.  "This  is  my  first  opportunity  to  be  with 
you,"  he  said,  "to  be  with  you  alone ;  I  hardly  know 
how  to  express  my  gratitude." 

"Tell  me,"  replied  Clara,  trying  to  make  Kromer 
feel  at  ease,  "tell  me  about  this  cobbler — he  is  very 
talkative  and  interesting,  but  I  could  not  quite  un- 
derstand him.  Can  you  tell  me  what  he  was  driving 
at?" 

"He  always  says  what  he  means  and  means  what 
he  says  .  .  .  that  is,  I  thought  so  until  now.  To- 
day he  seemed  hazy.  I  know  he  has  changed  since 
this  morning." 

"How  so.?" 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  51 

"You  see,  we  have  been  friends  ever  so  long;  he 
often  gave  me  good  advice  and  I  always  valued  his 
opinions  very  highly.  Some  I  adopted  for  my  own 
guidance.  Now  I  have  an  affair  of  great  importance 
on  hand.  This  morning  he  urged  me  to  proceed 
along  certain  lines;  he  talked  in  his  impetuous  way 
as  you  have  heard  him  speak.  But  now,  when  I  came 
to  him  concerning  the  same  matter  he  nearly  tried 
to  stop  me  from  going  ahead." 

"May  I  know  about  the  thing  you  are  so  much 
interested  in.^" 

"You  may  know  everything  I  know,"  replied  Kro- 
mer,  and  told  the  girl  about  the  mass  meeting,  about 
Norling  and  then  about  the  cobbler's  views  given 
earlier  in  the  day,  and  his  changed  disposition. 

"Is  he  going  to  speak  to  the  men  to-night?" 

"Yes,  but  he  is  so  timid  and  full  of  caution,  it 
seems  he  will  do  more  harm  than  good." 

"You  do  not  suspect  him  of  having  unworthy  mo- 
tives, do  you?  My  mother  says:  smoothest  talkers 
make  most  clever  deceivers." 

"Then  I  am  above  suspicion,"  he  said,  laughing. 

"Now,  don't  you  boast,  with  your  talent  of  speech- 
making." 

"I  wish  I  had  such  talent,  I  certainly  wish  it  now." 

"Look!"  Clara  exclaimed,  "we  are  in  the  park,  is 
it  not  beautiful  here?" 

"Yes  ...  to  be  with  you  ...  I  wished  so  often 
to  be  with  you  in  this  lovely  place." 

"Why?" 

"To  have  it  loveher  still.  Will  you  please  sit 
down  with  me  on  the  bench  over  there?  Just  to 
fulfill  a  long-cherished  wish  of  mine." 


52  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"All  right,  but  I  will  bear  in  mind  my  mother's 
warning." 

He  drew  a  newspaper  from  his  pocket  and  spread 
it  on  the  bench,  half  fearing  the  print  would  offend 
her.  Instead,  she  picked  up  the  paper  and  seating 
herself  began  to  read  aloud,  with  evident  pride  of 
knowing  German. 

Kromer  gazed  at  the  girl  with  delight.  "How, 
where  did  you  learn  the  language  so  well?" 

"I  began  in  the  school  and  kept  up  the  study,  for 
I  believe  in  education,  and  my  mother  never  tires 
quoting  a  good  teacher  who  said:  'Education  is  to 
understand  sympathetically  everybody,  everytime, 
everywhere.*  * 

Kromer  clapped  his  hands  approvingly.  The  girl 
seemed  to  him  on  a  plane  elevated  far  above  his 
reach.  "I  have  come  to  feel  just  that  way,"  he  said, 
"despite  my  parents  who  can  see  no  good  outside 
of  their  clan." 

"One  must  be  brave  to  overcome  the  clannish  feel- 
ing," she  replied,  realizing  how  much  higher  his  credit 
marks  were  than  her  own  for  the  same  achievement. 

The  young  man's  heart  was  melting:  "I  did  not 
expect  to  be  so  lucky  to-day,"  he  declared,  "you  are 
very,  very  kind." 

"It  is  very,  very  good  of  you  to  think  so." 

"I  would  like  to  be  very,  very  much  better  to 
please  you." 

"Why  should  you  want  to  please  me  more  than 
others.?" 

"Because  I  crave  to  be  liked  by  you  more  than 
by  others." 

*Definition  by  Edgar  W.  Burrill,  of  Columbia. 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  53 

"Perhaps,"  said  Clara,  in  a  serious  tone,  "I  care 
for  you  too  much  already." 

The  girl's  words  had  a  magic  effect  on  Kromer; 
his  whole  being  trembled,  every  fiber  of  his  body 
was  tingling  aglow.  He  would  have  embraced  her 
with  the  hot  passion  of  youth,  but  the  houses  in  front 
of  them  were  full  of  windows  and  the  walk  lively  with 
passersby,  the  sight  and  gaze  of  whom  restrained 
his  impulse.  "Did  you  say  'too  much?'  he  stam- 
mered; "then  surely  believe  that  I  like  you  twice 
too  much !" 

Their  hands  touched,  and  both  were  thrilled  by  an 
emotion  too  overwhelming  for  utterance.  So  they 
lapsed  into  the  lovers'  silence,  a  charmed  state,  the 
blissfulness  of  which  no  amount  of  description  can 
ever  keep  from  being  a  new,  undreamt-of  experience 
for  each  new  pair  of  mature  hearts. 


XVII 

SUNSHINE     AND      CLOUDS 

A  distant  fog-horn  sound  reminded  Clara  of  the 
factory  whistle.  She  rose  saying:  "Oh,  I  must  hurry 
to  my  work." 

"Yes,  I  too  must  hurry  to  a  meeting  of  the  Shop 
Committee.  But,  Miss — Clara,  I  want  to  ask  a 
great   favor   of  you." 

"What  can  it  be.?" 

"That  letter." 

"What.?" 

"The  letter  Frank  gave  you  for  Mr.  Stillmans- 
worth." 


54  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"Man  that  you  are!"  Clara  said,  feeling  a  chill 
creep  over  her,  "you  do  not  expect  me  to  betray 
my  employer,  do  you?" 

"Nothing  of  the  kind.  That  letter  cannot  make 
much  difference  in  the  strike  one  way  or  another; 
but  it  may  help  me  to  discover  a  wolf  in  sheep's 
clothing,  a  crook;  the  worst  of  them,  one  who  pro- 
fesses himself  a  lover  of  all  the  virtues  and  always 
prates  about  honesty  and  rectitude.  I  cannot  help 
thinking  that  the  man  plays  unfair.  If  a  man  pro- 
fesses friendship  to  me  for  over  ten  years,  all  the 
while  nursing  a  sinister  purpose;  if  he  leads  me  on 
a  road  which  he  undermines,  and  plays  the  saint 
while  he  is  but  a  mean  informer,  wouldn't  you  want 
me  to  find  him  out.''" 

The  girl  could  not  bear  the  idea  that  anybody 
should  treat  Kromer  so  falsely.  "Come,"  she  said, 
motioning  him  further  into  the  park,  "I  will  not  give 
you  the  letter,  but  let  us  see  what  it  contains." 

Arriving  under  a  thicket  she  began  operations. 
She  took  a  penknife  from  her  pocket  (this  girl  had 
pockets  in  her  skirt)  and  blew  her  hot  breath  on 
the  slightly  pasted  edge  of  the  envelope.  Here,  un- 
der the  sheltering  screen  of  twig  and  foliage,  his 
erstwhile  desire  would  not  be  repressed.  .  .  .  He 
was  surprised  at  his  own  audacity  and  looked  around 
somewhat  scared  and  startled,  but  the  listless  leaves 
made  not  a  rustle  of  protest,  they  were  resting  still, 
altogether  unconcernedly.  To  them  kissing  was  an 
oft-repeated,  familiar  scene. 

Clara  smoothed  back  her  hair.  In  a  few  more  sec- 
onds the  letter  was  opened.     It  contained  a  folded 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  55 

piece   of  yellow   paper,   a   telegram.      "Look!"   she 
exclaimed,  and  both  read  the  message: 

"James  Stillmansworth,  Esa. : 

"Made  arrangements  for  two  thousand  hands 
to  man  factories.  Do  not  arbitrate,  do  not  con- 
ciliate, give  no  quarter  and  make  no  compromise. 
Discharge  all  ringleaders  including  Kromer, 
Norling,  Kontar,  and  Clancy.  Militia  service 
secured.  Nanglow." 

The  pair  looked  at  each  other  in  amazement.  "You 
have  not  been  discharged  though,"  exclaimed  Clara. 

"On  the  contrary,"  he  replied,  "I  received  a  wage 
increase  of  five  cents  an  hour  in  my  pay  envelope 
day  before  yesterday,  and  look!  the  telegram  is  al- 
most a  week  old.  Could  the  wage  increase  have  been 
meant  as  a  bribe  to  keep  me  from  holding  with  the 
men.?"  Kromer  smiled  at  the  futility  of  such  a 
design. 

"No,  no,  no,"  protested  Clara.  "I  know  Mir. 
Stillmansworth ;  if  he  raised  your  pay  it  means  sim- 
ply that  he  could  afford  to  do  so.  Now,  what  about 
Frank?" 

"I  understand  him  better  and  like  him  more  than 
before.  Do  you  know  it  strengthens  one's  backbone 
to  know  an  upright  man!  He,  if  anyone,  will  know 
what  to  say  to-night." 

"And  what  about  you?" 

"I  will  act  exactly  as  if  I  had  not  seen  this  tele- 
gram at  all." 

She  looked  up  to  him,  full  face,  and  a  mutual  kiss, 
rather  long  drawn  out,  inaugurated  their  union. 

Though  Kromer  was  due  at  the  meeting  of  the 


56  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

shop  committee  which  held  a  continuous  session  that 
day,  he  escorted  Clara  to  the  very  door  of  the  factory 
building.  On  the  way  they  exchanged  observations 
on  lawns,  gardens,  cottages  and  many  other  things 
which  they,  especially  Kromer,  had  not  noticed  much 
before.  However,  the  ominous  and  puzzling  telegram 
and  the  big  mass  meeting  to  be  held  that  evening 
occupied  a  foremost  place  in  their  minds. 


XVIII 

A     SOURCE     OF     STRENGTH 

For  some  reason  or  other,  the  executive  office  of 
Nanglow  &  Stillmansworth  was  situated  in  a  wing 
end  of  the  top  floor  of  a  large  three-story  building. 
The  room,  clean  and  spacious,  had  light  streaming 
into  it  from  south,  east  and  north.  The  windows 
to  the  south  overlooked  the  broad  expanse  of  a  tran- 
quil sea;  to  the  east  a  panorama  of  factories  with 
their  smoking  chimneys  set  off  the  landscape;  to  the 
north  a  row  of  friendly  New  England  hills  could  be 
seen.  This,  the  prettiest  of  the  views,  was  disappear- 
ing behind  another  three-story  structure  nearing  its 
completion. 

The  office  room  was  decorated  with  pictures  of 
large  industrial  plants.  Book-cases  filled  with  com- 
mercial and  technical  publications  lined  the  walls. 
Little  mottoes  like  "Do  it  now,"  "Remember  the  pay- 
roll," "All  hail  the  garland  of  success,"  "Get  there," 
proclaimed  the  dominant  spirit  in  the  place.  A  line 
of  cheer  or  a  book  on  humane  considerations  would 
have  seemed  out  of  place  here.     Yet,  both  heads  of 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  57 

the  firm  had  given  much  thought  to  the  handKng  of 
employees.  The  senior  head  of  the  concern  was  in- 
clined to  be  strict  and  firm;  the  junior  member  was 
not  only  disposed  to  be  kind,  but  managed  to  use 
kindness  as  a  lubricating  oil  in  running  the  immense 
industrial  plant  smoothly.  In  fact  he  always  treated 
employees  as  well  as  general  competition,  the  main- 
tenance of  the  plant  and — Mr.  Nanglow  would 
permit. 

But  now  Stillmansworth  found  himself  in  a  dilemma 
from  which  there  seemed  to  be  no  escape.  With  his 
chin  resting  in  his  right  hand  and  with  knitted  brow 
he  sat  in  a  commodious  office  chair  trying  to  solve 
the  difficulty,  when  Clara  entered  the  room. 

He  opened  the  letter  which  she  handed  to  him, 
looked  at  its  contents  and  remarked:  "I  must  have 
dropped  this  in  the  cobbler's  place."  "Clara,"  he 
continued,  "I  used  to  be  afraid  I  would  lose  you, 
but  now  I  fear  you  will  lose  me." 

Taking  her  employer's  expression  for  a  little  joke, 
Clara  replied  roguishly,  "But  I  will  take  mighty  good 
care  not  to !" 

"You  take  good  care  of  all  things  in  your  keeping. 
I  wish  I  knew  how  to  take  good  care  of  all  things  in 
my  keeping." 

"My  mother  says  we  learn  most  things  when  we 
need  to  know  them." 

"Oh,  go  on,  quoting  your  mother  again!" 

"Why  shouldn't  I?  You  quote  Shakespeare,  and 
Carlyle  and  Emerson,  why  should  I  not  quote  my 
mother  and  give  her  credit  for  her  wisdom  .f^" 

"Once  again  you  are  right,  Clara;  I  wish  I  could 
defend  my  own  position  as  well  as  you  can  yours." 


58  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"Give  me  a  conundrum." 

"Well,"  began  Stillmansworth,  and  Clara,  from 
habit,  jotted  down  his  words;  "suppose  a  Captain  of 
industry  comes  into  conflict  with  the  next  officer 
above  him  in  command,  regarding  their  policy  toward 
the  men  in  their  charge.  The  Major  contends  for 
accumulation  and  expansion,  leaving  the  lot  of  the 
men  for  the  last  and  least  consideration,  whereas  the 
Captain  regards  matters  just  in  the  reverse  order. 
The  Captain  is  threatened  with  degradation  not  only 
of  himself,  but  his  family,  who  are  going  around 
with  eyes  red  from  crying.  It  means  a  terrible  clash 
of  industrial  forces  in  which  unknown  sums  of  money 
may  have  to  be  spent  and  an  unknown  number  of 
lives  may  have  to  be  sacrificed,  all  against  the  Cap- 
tain's own  will  and  judgment;  or  social  ostracism 
for  him  and  his  loved  ones.  The  son  would  be  de- 
prived of  an  education,  the  daughter  forsaken  by 
the  man  of  her  choice,  the  wife  wither  away  in  sor- 
row and  the  Captain  himself,  perhaps,  die  of  a 
broken  heart.   .   .  .  What  is  such  a  Captain  to  do  ?" 

Clara  read  her  notes  aloud,  thought  for  a  while, 
then  inquired:  "And  does  he,  the  Captain,  think, 
does  he  believe,  does  he  know  himself  to  be  in  the 
right?" 

"Of  course  he  does  !" 

Clara  stepped  into  a  small  side  room  and  after  a 
few  moments  came  back  with  an  open  book  which 
she  handed  to  Stillmansworth. 

"Thank  you,"  he  said,  "you  may  go  and  check 
off  bills.  I  expect  Mr.  Nanglow  every  minute  in  a 
private  matter  of  great  importance." 

Clara  returned  to  the  small  side  room.     The  in- 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  59 

stinct  of  the  helpmeet  made  her  leave  the  door  slightly 
open.  She  did  not  know  whom  or  what  she  might 
help,  but  by  intuition  kept  in  readiness  to  do  so. 

Stillmansworth  sank  back  into  his  chair.  He  saw 
the  book  in  his  hand  was  the  New  Testament,  and 
his  glance  fell  on  the  marked  passage  of  the  open 
page. 

He  read: 

"If  any  man  come  to  me,  and  hate  not  his  father, 
and  mother,  and  wife,  and  children,  and  brethren, 
and  sisters,  yea,  and  his  own  life  also,  he  cannot 
be  my  disciple." 

Stillmansworth  looked  out  upon  the  sea,  the  sur- 
face of  which  was  now  a  miniature  of  the  landscape 
to  the  north.  "Each  wave,"  he  thought,  "must  run 
its  course  and  expend  its  force  in  accordance  with 
nature;  why  should  a  man  be  less  courageous  than 
a  wave  of  the  sea?" 

Two  big  glistening  tears  rolled  down  the  cheeks 
of  this  captain  of  industry.  He  shook  them  from 
his  face  and  stood  up,  feeling  himself  a  tower  of 
strength. 

XIX 

POWERS  AGAINST  POWER 

Stillmansworth  rose  from  his  chair  just  in  time  to 
offer  it  to  Mr.  Nanglow,  who  entered  the  room  with 
jaws  set  tightly  and  a  grim  determination  showing 
in  his  face. 

"This  is  not  an  opportune  time  for  a  comfortable 
conference,"  declared  Mr.  Nanglow,  pacing  the  floor 


60  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

from  one  window  to  the  other.  "The  agitators  whom 
you  refused  to  discharge  have  completed  their  nefari- 
ous work.  Some  of  our  men  are  fooled,  others  are 
cowed  into  following  them.  What  was  the  sense  in 
your  acting  counter  to  my  telegram?" 

"It  would  have  made  bad  matters  worse.  It  would 
have  embittered  the  men  and  given  martyrs  to  their 
cause.  Besides,  I  believe  that  the  power  of  discharg- 
ing employees  should  not  be  abused." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  'abused?'  " 

"I  mean  that  industrial  workers,  like  state  offi- 
cials, should  not  be  removed  from  their  positions 
without  cause  and  trial.  Their  livelihood,  and  to 
some  extent  their  reputation,  is  involved." 

"But  the  men  need  have  no  cause  nor  any  reason 
whatsoever  for  leaving  their  employment!  Any  no- 
tion, any  will-o'-the-wisp,  can  make  them  leave  the 
tools  to  rust.  In  fact,  they  just  painfully  wait  for 
an  opportunity  when  they  are  needed,  to  do  their 
very  worst.  Evolutionary  movements  ?  Oh,  gracious 
sense,  no.  They  have  a  few  leaders  engrafted  upon 
them  whose  business  is  to  talk  sentiment,  to  flatter 
them  into  believing  that  the  most  indolent  time-killer 
amongst  them  is  an  innocently  suffering  savior  of 
the  world.  'School  for  self-government?'  Not  much. 
They  have  a  president-chief  in  office  twenty-five 
years.  They  might  as  well  make  him  a  king  and 
his  office  a  hereditary  acquisition." 

"Look  there,"  continued  Mr.  Nanglow,  pointing 
toward  the  east,  "see  the  smoke  from  a  hundred 
chimneys  rising  to  tell  of  individual  initiative,  force, 
perseverance — fight,  if  you  please — and  success  ; 
whereas   the  most  and   the  best  your  labor  unions 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  61 

accomplish  is  to  stop  members  from  producing  until 
hunger  compels  them  to  resume." 

"It  is  bad  policy  to  drive  men  to  extremes." 

"Can  you  set  a  limit  to  their  wants?  However 
much  we  contrive  to  give  them  it  only  whets  their 
appetite  for  more.  We  must  call  a  halt.  They  have 
drawn  good  pay  for  some  time  and  may  hold  out  a 
while.  But  it  will  pay  to  starve  them  into  submis- 
sion. We  have  the  means  for  it.  What  makes  you 
so  vacillating.^     Why  do  you  hold  back?" 

"The  Socialist  vote  in  the  election  returns  should 
teach  us  caution." 

"Do  not  permit  that  to  disturb  your  equanimity. 
It  is  merely  a  showing  of  discontent  and  serves  as  an 
indicator  for  statesmen  and  politicians  to  trim  their 
sails  by.  That  vote  can  be  scattered  in  a  score  of 
different  ways.  Their  leaders  will  fly  at  each  other's 
throat  on  the  least  provocation.  In  fact,  they  have 
had  two  bitterly  hostile  parties  going  for  the  past 
twenty  years,  with  perhaps  a  measly  editorship  as 
the  only  prize  in  sight.  What  will  they  do  in  the 
face  of  temptations  that  our  ruling  parties  are  ex- 
posed to?  Socialist  vote!  Fear  nothing  from  that 
side.  It  is  but  a  pastime  for  unengaged  stump 
speakers,  a  harmless  political  diversion " 

"That  may  turn  very  serious,  and  in  turning  bring 
down  the  social  structure  with  a  crash.  I  do  not 
want  to  be  a  party  to  the  proceeding,  at  least  not 
more  so   than   circumstances   compel." 

"And  who  said  that  circumstances  permit  us  to 
accede  to  the  men's  extravagant  and  insolent  de- 
mands? Do  they  know  that  our  granting  them  will 
not  impair  our  solvency?" 


62  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"/  know!"  said  Stillmansworth,  with  a  stress  on 
the  pronoun. 

Nanglow  suddenly  stopped.  His  right  hand  con- 
tracted into  a  fist. 

"What!"  he  exclaimed.  "Is  your  knowledge  at 
the  service  of  the  rabble?  So.  ...  I  nurtured  a 
snake  on  my  bosom.  But  I  will  tear  out  its  fang. 
You  may  leave,  leave — at  once!" 

"I  may,  but  I  will  not." 

"Do  you  mean  fight!" 

"You  preach  force  and  fight,  but  you  do  not  seem 
to  rehsh  it.  Relax  your  hand,  sir,  it  may  be  a  fight 
in  the  public  press  or  in  the  courts  of  law,  or  per- 
haps on  the  fields  of  competition " 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  you.  I  have  a  thousand  dol- 
lars to  your  one." 

But  Mr.  Nanglow  was  afraid.  He  resumed  pacing 
the  floor,  went  to  one  of  the  windows,  stood  there 
a  while,  then  returned  as  for  a  last  supreme  argument. 

"Man,  for  God's  sake  collect  your  senses.  What 
if  we  are  a  little  sum  ahead,  can  you  tell  what  may 
happen  next  year  or  the  year  after.?  If  ventures 
miscarry  the  workingman  is  the  first  to  turn  his 
back  upon  them.  He  is  the  first  to  run  from  indus- 
trial difficulties  even  as  the  rat  runs  from  a  sinking 
ship.  But  we  must  stay  and  meet  conditions  as  they 
arise.  Can't  you  see,  have  you  forgotten  the  awful 
item  of  uncertainty  and  positive  risk  in  business?" 
Nanglow  halted  at  the  window  to  the  north,  and 
began  drumming  thereon  as  if  to  give  his  associate 
time  for  framing  a  conciliatory  answer. 

That  was  not  forthcoming.  Instead,  a  piercing 
scream   came,  dulled  through  the  window.     A  man 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  63 

fell  down,  tangled  in  the  scaffolding  across  the  way. 
The  figure,  vainly  trying  to  get  a  saving  hold  on 
something,  whirled  around  several  times  in  the  air, 
landed  on  the  murky  road  and  remained  there  mo- 
tionless. A  number  of  men  came  rusliing  to  the 
scene,  one  cried  out,  "My  brother!"  and  fell  in  a 
faint. 

For  a  moment  Nanglow  imagined  himself  in  the 
place  of  the  unfortunate  worker.  It  made  his  knees 
quake  and  forced  the  phlegm  to  his  mouth.  He  swal- 
lowed hard;  turning  to  Stillmansworth,  who  had 
come  to  the  window,  he  said,  "Have  your  way,"  and 
without  another  word  left  the  office. 

Stillmansworth  gazed  through  the  window  for  a 
while.  He  saw  the  victim  of  the  accident  lifted  and 
carried  into  the  building.  Then  he  stepped  to  the 
desk,  wrote  a  few  words  on  a  sheet  of  paper,  put  it 
in  an  envelope  and  called  Clara. 

The  girl  came  in,  pale  and  trembling.  She  too 
had  witnessed  the  accident.  "That  is  terrible,"  she 
said.  "I  happen  to  know  him  and  saw  his  wife  this 
morning.    They  have  three  children.    What  a  pity !" 

"Yes,  and  more  pitiful  that  principles  of  justice 
must  be  taught  through  the  sacrifice  of  men.  Do 
you  know,  Clara,  the  Captain's  view — the  Captain's 
of  the  conundrum — partly  through  his  strength  of 
will  and  partly  through  this  accident — has  prevailed  ! 
Will  you  please  see  to  it  that  this  letter  is  received 
by  the  men  who  are  in  charge  of  the  meeting  called 
for  to-night?" 

"I  will  attend  to  it  myself,"  replied  Clara,  and  the 
paleness  of  her  face  changed  into  a  flush  of  ruddy 
crimson  hue.    She  knew  the  importance  of  that  letter. 


64  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

XX 

CHAMPIONS     OF     LABOR SO-CAL.IiED 

Threescore  men  met  as  a  shop  committee  of 
the  Nanglow  &  Stillmansworth  employees.  They 
had  a  Hvely  session  in  the  large  but  dingy  hall  up 
the  third  floor  of  a  rather  rickety  building.  The 
stairway  from  the  street  to  the  meeting-place  was 
littered  with  cigar  stubs,  burnt  matches  and  torn 
papers.  Several  subcommittees  had  met  at  irregular 
intervals  throughout  the  day ;  from  their  private  con- 
versation it  could  be  gathered  that  the  foremost  de- 
sires of  the  sixty  delegates  were  of  as  many  moulds. 
One  hoped  to  see  in  print  the  account  of  his  leader- 
ship, one  expected  to  be  put  to  a  less  cranky  ma- 
chine, one  was  there  in  revenge  on  the  boss  of  his  de- 
partment, one  looked  forward  to  a  needed  vacation, 
one  to  having  his  fill  in  the  saloons.  Here  was  a 
man  glad  of  the  chance  to  complete  some  models  of 
a  new  invention,  another  planned  to  finish  a  much 
thought-of  literary  work,  still  another  planned  to 
try  his  hand  at  business  while  the  plants  were  shut 
down.  (The  purpose  of  Thomas  need  not  be  told 
and  that  of  a  few  others  will  become  evident  by  their 
stand  and  action.)  All  of  the  delegates  were  ready 
to  quit  work.  They  felt  excitement  in  the  air.  Grad- 
ually they  worked  up  enthusiasm  for  this  common 
purpose:  decrease  of  work,  a  grievance  committee, 
and  increase  of  wages.  They  all  figured  how  they 
would  spend  both  the  time  and  the  money  gained. 
Of  course,  that  is  the  least  difficult  and  most  pleasant 
part  in  a  campaign  of  this  sort. 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  65 

At  three  o'clock  the  meeting  of  the  committee, 
as  a  whole,  began  its  deliberations.  The  issues  and 
their  champions  were  known  by  all  present.  Under 
the  first  heading,  due  to  a  generation's  agitation  for 
the  eight-hour  work  day,  the  proposition  was  found 
acceptable  by  all  except  a  German,  who,  in  a  fiery 
speech,  made  a  plea  for  something  new  and  sensa- 
tional— a  five-hour  day. 

He  was  hooted  down  by  the  Italians:  "You  no 
want  nothing  but  to  quit  for  the  Kaiser!" 

In  fact,  the  men  were  grouped  according  to  na- 
tionalities. It  was  Norling's  acumen  that  managed 
to  have  them  picked  so  that  they  balanced  each  other. 

Under  the  second  heading  there  was  opportunity 
for  much  talk.  The  men  related  the  unjust  treat- 
ment they  were  subjected  to  at  one  time  or  another. 
None  doubted  the  word  of  the  other  in  this  respect ; 
but  suppose  the  demand  was  granted,  who  should  be 
on  that  committee.?  A  number  of  names  were  men- 
tioned, cheered,  and  hooted  at ;  until  someone  asked : 
"What's  the  matter  with  Norhng?"  A  general 
healthy  hurrah  answered  the  question  and  an  ap- 
proving murmur  sounded  through  the  room. 

"But  where  is  he?"  asked  somebody  after  calm 
was  restored. 

Thomas  asked  for  the  floor,  and  being  granted  the 
privilege,  he  said:  "I  see  Mr.  Norling.  His  baby 
die" — a  hush  fell  on  the  crowd — "yet  he  good  man, 
will  speak  in  Clarendon  Hall.  If  everybody  as  good 
as  him  we  surely  win." 

There  was  no  more  argument  about  the  Grievance 
Committee,  and  the  men  proceeded  to  deliberate  on 
the  wage  demand.     This  ranged  from  an  increase  of 


66  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

twenty  per  cent,  to  doubling  the  pay.  Discussion 
soon  eliminated  the  intermediate  figures  and  the  ques- 
tion was  argued  between  twenty  per  cent,  increase 
and  double  pay. 

Again  the  sentiment  was  divided  according  to  the 
national  leanings  of  the  delegates.  It  was  like  a 
faint  echo  of  the  European  clash. 

Thomas,  of  course,  spoke  for  double  pay :  "Do  you 
think  that  too  much?"  he  said,  in  a  plaintive,  almost 
begging  tone.  "My  pay  $1.35  a  day;  if  for  me  pay 
$2.70  is  that  too  much?  You  say  foreigners  make 
wages  to  be  small,  but  you  can  believe  me  I  like 
bigger  pay,  only  not  find  it " 

"Why  did  you  come  to  this  country?"  broke  in 
an  elder  immigrant. 

"Not  to  steal,  but  only  to  work.  I  want  to  work. 
Is  it  wrong  to  work,  to  work  hard?  I  want  $2.70 
a  day;  is  it  wrong  to  want  that  much?  You  make 
more,  and  I  strike  for  you;  why  not  you  double 
my  pay?" 

The  opposition  could  find  no  argument  and  broke 
out  in  a  general  noise,  several  of  them  claiming 
it  was  all  nonsense  and  that  they  would  not  stand 
for  it. 

At  this  junction  Thomas  received  unexpected  sup- 
port in  the  person  of  a  gaunt  Canadian,  who  wore 
in  his  coat  lapel  a  button  with  the  initials  I.  W.  W., 
standing  for  Industrial  Workers  of  the  World. 

"Silence!"  he  cried,  "Silence!"  He  had  a  shrill 
voice  which  rose  above  the  din.  Besides  he  was 
known  as  a  man  of  sincerity  and  the  delegates  quieted 
down  to  give  him  a  hearing. 

"What  are  you  afraid  of?     Do  you  fear  that  the 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  67 

bosses  will  have  to  get  along  with  fewer  servants, 
with  less  champagne,  or  fewer  fancy  balls?  Reduce 
your  pity  for  them;  they  are  not  in  need  of  it.  If 
they  raise  wages  a  dime  they  increase  the  cost  of 
living  a  quarter's  worth.  Surely  you  need  not  be 
afraid  to  ask  something  worth  while.  Whatever  we 
get  won't  amount  to  much  until  we  get  hold  of  the 
means  of  production  and  run  the  factories  for  the 
benefit  of  the  workers  altogether." 

"Will  you  take  the  place  of  the  bosses  and  get 
us  our  pay.^"  asked  a  timid  voice. 

The  Canadian  became  excited.  "If  you  were  not 
a  lot  of  cowards  and  numbskulls,  you  would  chase 
the  bosses  into  hell  and  start  producing  for  use  in- 
stead of  for  profit.  Let's  demand  the  whole  plant 
and  take  it." 

A  quiet  Englishman  rose  and  donned  his  hat  say- 
ing: "If  this  is  going  to  be  a  Wild  West  Show  I 
quit  right  here."  He  was  followed  by  about  half 
the  delegates,  the  others  tried  to  prevent  their  leav- 
ing the  hall.  There  was  a  shuffling  and  pulling  and 
a  general  melee  was  imminent  when  Kromer  entered 
the  room. 

."What  is  the  matter?  What  is  it  all  about?"  the 
newcomer  asked,  and  as  he  held  second  place  in  the 
confidence  of  the  men  some  began  to  explain,  but 
others  grumbled  "Where  have  you  been?"  "You 
wouldn't  beat  the  factory  whistle  like  that."  "Why 
don't  you  keep  your  nose  here?" 

But  they  settled  down.  The  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee stated  the  case  and  Thomas  repeated  his  plea 
for  $2.70  a  day. 

Kromer  found  a  way  out.     "Why,"  he  exclaimed. 


68  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"we  will  get  you  that  much,  and  more!  We  should 
ask  for  a  minimum  wage  of  $3.00  a  day." 

This  solution  of  the  problem  pleased  all.  They 
elected  Kromer  chairman  for  the  evening  and 
cheered  and  applauded.  Suddenly  all  became  quiet. 
News  was  brought  that  one  of  the  speakers  had 
fallen  from  the  scaffolding  and  had  died. 

Once  again  the  crowd  was  hushed,  but  only  for  a 
moment.  The  cry  went  up,  "We  must  have  speak- 
ers !"     Indeed,  the  river  of  life  must  flow  on. 

Kromer  told  about  Frank,  his  knowledge  of  the 
French  and  German  languages  and  his  views  in  re- 
gard to  the  matter  in  hand.  He  argued  that  a 
French  speaker  would  best  secure  the  support  of 
clashing  nationals,  and  asked  that  a  committee  be 
sent  to  invite  Frank,  in  a  formal  manner,  and  to 
urge  his  certain  and  early  appearance.  The  sug- 
gestion was  approved  and  formally  acted  upon. 

The  chairman  appointed  Thomas  and  the  gaunt 
Canadian  for  this  errand,  neither  of  whom  ever  ob- 
jected when  called  upon  to  do  some  work. 

XXI 

LIGHT  ON  AND  FROM  A  PUZZLING  CHARACTER 

Left  to  himself,  after  an  argument  with  a  number 
of  solicitors  in  behalf  of  their  several  nationalities, 
Frank  had  settled  down  to  work,  allowing  his 
thoughts  a  "free  for  all"  deliberative  session. 

It  is  related  of  Schiller,  the  great  German  poet, 
that  he  could  write  best  with  the  odor  of  decomposed 
apples  wafted  to  his  nostrils.     Frank  could  think 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  69 

clearest  when  hammering  at  his  usual  work.  That 
hammer  in  his  hand  moved  much  like  the  baton  in  the 
hand  of  an  orchestra  leader.  It  tapped  softly,  then 
harder,  in  slower  and  in  quicker  beats;  now  it  was 
scarcely  touching,  now  pounding  with  full  force  the 
leather  on  the  stone.  Once  in  a  while  the  hammer 
would  turn  negatively  in  the  air,  occasionally  it 
would  pause,  only  to  continue  the  tapping,  hitting, 
pounding,  banging,  in  all  the  shades  and  moods  of 
a  master's  musical  composition. 

Thus,  Frank  worked  on  until  he  had  hammered 
out  the  symphony  of  his  thoughts.  Then  he  turned 
to  his  right,  dropped  the  front  of  a  musty  little 
writing  desk  and  penned  the  following  letter : 

"Beloved  Friend: 

"If  I  were  to  die  this  hour  I  would  want  you  to 
know  that  our  boyhood  love,  which  we  nurtured  by 
correspondence  through  so  many  years,  still  clung 
to  me;  and  if  the  tempest  and  the  turmoil  in  my 
mind  is  about  to  obliterate  the  intelligence  which 
you  so  loyally  helped  to  sustain  and  to  improve,  I 
want  you  to  receive  its  last  few  rays. 

"You  know  how,  in  the  days  of  our  adolescence, 
with  Parisian  vim  and  the  gripping  enthusiasm  of 
youth,  we  have  dedicated  our  souls  to  redeeming  the 
earth  from  the  avarice  of  landlordism  and  the  world 
from  wage  slavery.  More  than  that,  we  had  taken 
the  motto  of  the  French  Revolution  at  its  face  value 
and  spent  with  joyous  exultation  our  scant  earn- 
ings and  ample  vitality  for  the  fulfillment  of  that 
glorious  proclamation:  'Liberty!  Equality!  Fra- 
ternity !' 


70  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"I  kept  the  faith  throughout  the  weary  years,  find- 
ing contentment,  almost  pleasure,  in  the  very  adver- 
sities endured  on  its  account  or  in  behalf  of  it." 

*'Such  as  we  would  rather  be  hard  working  squir- 
rels, out  in  the  cold  woods,  than  enjoy  the  home 
comforts  of  a  muzzled  dog.  I  could  not  shine  like 
the  pole  star,  but  like  a  meteor  I  could  give  a  mo- 
ment's light  for  the  chance  observer. 

"So  I  kept  the  faith ;  thought,  felt  and  lived  by  it 
and  upheld  its  precepts  in  my  small  fraction  of  the 
world. 

"When  asked  about  my  race,  I  answered:  *If  my 
appearance  does  not  proclaim  it  why  should  my  lips 
explain  my  face.'^' 

"When  people  asked  my  nationality,  my  reply  was 
that  I  wanted  to  forget  it,  and  when  they  inquired 
about  my  religion,  I  said :  'Judge  my  religion  by  my 
conduct.' 

"Blame  my  wisdom  if  I  was  not  taken  by  all  men 
for  all  things.  I  can  see  now  another  disadvantage 
of  my  position.  From  the  outspoken  partisan  no 
one  outside  his  group  expects  solace  and  encourage- 
ment, but  one  who  loves  all  mankind  is  called  upon 
by  all  factional  interests  for  help. 

"As  they  came  to  me,  Belgian,  Pole,  Hungarian, 
Serb,  and  all  the  rest,  one  after  the  other,  I  saw  a 
vision  so  dreadful  and  terrifying  that  I  felt  my 
heart's  beat  slacken ;  it  paused  in  awe  and  trembled 
in  fear.  .  .  .  Think  of  it,  fear!  For  the  first  time 
in  my  life  I  met  the  monster  face  to  face. 

"Before  my  eyes  the  melting  pot  turned  into  a 
spectroscope  of  disintegration.  What  if  the  con- 
stituent bodies  go  apart  far  enough  to  stand  sepa- 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  71 

rated,  and  then,  with  passions  aflame,  fly  at  each 
other  in  a  clash? 

"The  fanatic,  the  weak-minded  and  the  unscrupu- 
lous, goaded  on  by  the  murderously  inclined,  might 
whirl  us  into  a  civil  war  compared  to  which  even  the 
European  catastrophe  is  an  insignificant  happening. 

"With  nationality,  race  and  creed  fighting  each 
other  in  savage  fashion,  unrestrained  by  any  rules 
of  war,  they  all  must  turn  executioners  and  bring 
on  a  general  slaughter,  a  saturnalia  of  bloodshed, 
too  awful  to  contemplate.  Still,  the  thought  had 
come  to  me,  pointing  out  how  Vendettaism  would 
decimate  the  people  again  and  again,  until  the  snake 
of  tyranny  would  raise  its  poison-head,  coil  its  frosty 
ligaments  around  a  weakened  populace,  strangle  their 
dearly  bought  liberties,  crush  their  higher  aspira- 
tions and  rule  over  them  in  ancient  despotic  style. 

"As  I  write  this,  a  thought  still  more  terrible 
comes  to  my  mind.  Is  it  not  possible  that  the  seem- 
ingly senseless  slaughter  across  the  ocean  is  a  care- 
fully designed  plan  to  prevent  the  fusion  of  peoples 
in  the  melting  pot  of  America?  A  nation,  no  more 
than  a  family,  and  the  world,  no  more  than  a  nation, 
can  endure  half  slave  and  half  free.  And  can  they 
be  free  of  guile,  whose  interest  and  ambition  calls 
for  a  world  enslaved? 

"As  they  claim  to  rule  by  divine  right,  and  pride 
themselves  on  a  long  line  of  ruling  ancestors,  must 
they  not  consider  it  as  their  main  object  in  life  to 
maintain  that  'right'  and  secure  it  for  a  long  line 
of  descendants? 

"Terrible,  frightful  is  the  thought;  yet  have  ty- 
rants ever  been  swayed  by  other  than  selfish  motives? 


72  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Have  they  ever  stopped  to  count  the  cost  of  con- 
quest or  of  glory?  Is  it  not  rather  in  the  nature  of 
things  that  ruling  dynasties  aim  to  destroy  the  one 
great  and  steadily  increasing  political  power  that 
by  its  inere  example  is  bound  to  endanger  the  con- 
tinuation of  their  dominance? 

"Plausible  though  the  thought  appears,  I  am  in  a 
quandary  whether  it  is  a  spark  of  intelligence,  a  dark 
foreboding  of  insanity,  or  merely  a  fragment  of  the 
nightmare  that  is  now  convulsing  the  world. 

"You  often  asked  me  to  cease  caring  for  the  mul- 
titude, to  let  the  world  go  hang — Of  course,  I  knew 
you  did  not  mean  it  so.  One  who  pays  for  parental 
pangs  with  heartless  negligence,  who  meets  neigh- 
borly kindness  with  cruel  schemes — is  not  such  a  one 
on  the  lowest  scale  of  degradation?  Then,  he  who 
repays  all  the  care  and  all  the  effort,  and  all  the  love 
of  all  times  in  all  the  world,  with  a  shrug  of  the 
shoulders  and  the  sting  of  irony,  does  not  such  a  man 
place  himself  outside  the  social  communion,  is  he  not 
guilty  of  the  basest  ingratitude? 

"You  would  not  hug  to  your  bosom  such  embodi- 
ment of  iniquities.  In  fact,  those  who  really  do  not 
care  take  no  trouble  to  write  about  their  indiffer- 
ence. Your  beautiful  pessimistic  epistles  were  only 
designed  to  make  me  shed  a  few  tears  and  spill  some 
ink  in  argument. 

"That  you  have  accomplished  quite  often,  but  now 
I  turn  to  you  for  help  and  sympathy. 

"Not  that  I  am  in  despair.  The  time  for  a  soul 
to  prove  worthy  of  that  exalted  name  is  the  time 
when  mood,  fact,  reason  and  circumstance  conspire 
to  drag  it  into  despondency.     Then  must  the  mind 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  73 

spread  forth  its  wings  of  thought  and  rise  above  the 
hindrances  to  vision ;  then  must  the  soul  make  use 
of  its  immaterial  stuff  to  orient  itself  on  a  higher 
plane. 

"No  sooner  had  I  discerned  those  awful  possibil- 
ities than  my  mind  set  to  work  to  find  the  means  of 
certain  prevention,  and  that  which  I  found  startled 
me  as  much  as  the  ideas  I  sought  to  dislodge. 

"I  weighed  matters  carefully.  To  side  with  either 
of  the  world  combatants  is  but  to  increase  and  en- 
large the  hatred  on  which  tyranny  thrives  and  by 
which  the  thrones  of  to-day  are  held  from  tumbling 
down.  What  we  must  have  is  a  centrifugal  force 
which  shall  prevent  the  particles  of  our  composition 
from  going  too  far  apart.  What  shall  that  force 
be.? 

"I  have  thought  of  programs,  religions,  and  phi- 
losophies. Alas!  They,  indeed,  are  but  scraps  of 
paper.  It  is  what  they  make  of  men  and  what  men 
make  of  them  that  disclose  their  intrinsic  value. 
Their  doctors  and  professors,  like  the  doctors  of 
medicine,  make  knowing  faces  and  when  their  pre- 
scriptions fail  to  cure,  will  blame  everybody  and 
everything  except  themselves  and  their  own  pet 
theories. 

"In  the  tangle  of  claims,  notions  and  propositions 
now  before  the  world,  this  much  is  clear:  that  the 
progress  of  human  kind  had  been  from  the  very  be- 
ginning and  still  is  toward  freedom  and  fraternal 
relations.  So  the  center  of  social  gravitation  must 
move  along  those  lines.  As  for  its  tangible  shape, 
oh,  friend,  if  you  could  have  looked  across  the  con- 
tinent into  my  'atelier'  you  would  have  seen  me  blush 


74  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

in  surprise  at  my  own  conclusion.  But  one  must 
obey  the  commands  of  his  conscience  and  heed  the 
voice  of  truth  even  though  it  overturns  preconceived 
ideas. 

"Think  of  it,  comprehend  if  yon  can :  I  found  my- 
self in  a  boat  with  my  chauvinistic  neighbors ! 

"I  entered  by  a  different  gangway,  prompted  by 
different  motives ;  I  feel  sustained  by  different  as- 
pirations and  act  differently,  yet  there  I  am. 

"Do  not  tell  me  the  faults,  the  shortcomings,  the 
abuse  of  our  governmental  machinery.  I  know  them 
too  well.  Oh,  Patriotism,  I  know  what  crimes  are 
committed  in  thy  name ! 

"But  if  there  is  a  flag  which  prevents  men  from 
giving  it  the  noblest  meaning,  surely,  it  is  not  ours. 
Look  at  a  globe  and  see  which  cheek  on  its  round 
face  glows  brightest  in  and  for  Liberty. 

"Old  Europe  and  its  nations  have  the  feuds  of 
thousands  of  years  to  overcome,  whereas  America, 
at  worst,  is  but  like  an  erring  child  that  could  not 
have  sinned  so  much  as  to  forfeit  its  unfoldment  to 
perfect  maturity  in  the  near  future. 

"If  this  great  congregation  of  people  will  strive 
to  perfect  both  the  melting  pot  and  its  product  the 
resulting  attainment  may  heal  even  ancient  sores ; 
for  parental  hearts  can  ever  be  reached  by  and 
through  their  children. 

"A  thousand  thoughts  stir  in  my  mind,  craving  to 
be  voiced  in  justification  and  support  of  this  ideal. 
I  may  have  an  opportunity  to  sound  some  of  them 
before  a  crowd  to-night  and  I  will  let  you  know  the 
results. 

"But  if  you  never  hear  another  word  from  me,  you 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  75 

may  rest  assured  that  I  die  in  the  faith — with  my 
soul  free  from  factional  limitations,  my  heart's  last 
beat  will  faint  away  in  love  for  all  mankind  and  in 
friendship  for  you. 

"Ready  for  a  good  scolding,  I  remain  yours  as 
ever, 

Frank." 


xxn 

ILL    WILL    AND    GOOD    INTENTION    MEET 

The  cobbler  read  the  letter  aloud  to  himself,  put 
it  in  an  envelope  which  he  addressed  to  his  boyhood 
friend  living  in  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

Then  he  took  the  little  slip,  which  his  visitor  left 
in  the  morning,  added  one  word  to  the  text,  so  it  read : 
"I  will  stand  for  America  first  ARIGHT,"  and 
signed  the  paper  carefully. 

The  committee  inviting  the  cobbler  to  speak  that 
evening,  saw  two  letters  on  his  desk  ready  for  mail- 
ing. 

Thomas  poked  the  side  of  the  gaunt  Canadian  and 
whispered  to  him :  "Look  at  that  letter !" 

The  Canadian  did  so,  and  after  they  had  left  the 
place  he  asked:  "What  was  there  on  those  letters 
to  see.?" 

"One  letter  was  to  Mrs.  Nanglow." 

"What  of  that.?" 

"Before  noon  he  sent  one  letter  to  Mr.  Stillmans- 
worth." 

"What!     Do  you  mean  he  is  crooked?" 

"I  not  know." 


76  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"What  business  has  he  to  correspond  about  with 
Mrs.  Nanglow  and  Mr.  Stillmans worth.?" 

"I  not  know,  but  I  see  this  morning  Mr.  Still- 
mansworth  come  out  from  that  place,"  Thomas 
pointed  back  to  the  cobbler's. 

The  blood  of  the  gaunt  Canadian  rushed  to  his 
face.  He  shook  his  short  companion  by  the  shoulder 
saying:  "Thomas,  it  looks  to  me  like  crooked  work; 
you  are  no  fool,  tell  me  what  you  think." 

Thomas  remained  silent. 

The  Canadian's  suspicion  deepened  and  broadened. 
He  gave  his  companion  a  stronger  shake  and  ex- 
claimed in  a  suppressed  voice :  "Talk,  damn  you !  Is 
this  whole  business  a  fake,  and  Norling  and  Kromer 
out  for  the  dough?" 

A  third  and  still  stronger  shake  made  Thomas 
give  answer  in  a  reluctant  manner:  "I — I  think  Mr. 
Norling  is  all  right  and  Kromer  is  all  right,  but  this 
shoemaker,  he  fool  both  of  the  two.  And  we  work 
so  hard " 

"Ha!     Does  he?     Never  fear,  Thomas,  I  have  a 

few  friends,  and  if  the  son  of  a  tries  to  do 

some  monkey  business  we'll  make  a  monkey  of  him." 


XXIII 

WAVES   OF    A   MASS    MEETING 

Though  the  mass  meeting  of  workers  had  been  ad- 
vertised to  begin  at  eight  o'clock,  the  crowd  gathered 
in  Clarendon  Hall  much  earlier. 

People  came  from  all  directions,  and  in  the  flow- 
ing streams  of  humanity  Mrs.  Parker  was  delighted 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  77 

to  meet,  right  near  the  entrance  to  the  hall,  her  good 
friend  and  customer,  Mrs.  Clancy. 

"That's  lovely,  are  you  coming  to  the  meeting, 
too?" 

"Indeed  not.  I  wasn't  home  this  afternoon.  I 
left  the  children  with  my  sister.  They  will  wonder 
where  I  was.  Mrs.  Clorin  insisted  that  I  stay  with 
them  for  supper." 

"Oh,  do  come  in.  They  expect  a  lot  of  excitement 
and  we  might  as  well  learn  first  hand  what's  going 
on." 

Mrs.  Clancy  looked  at  the  people  crowding  the 
hallway.  Her  nose  twitched  in  displeasure  as  she 
said  :  "Mixed  pickles  !" 

"But  your  own  husband  is  to  make  a  speech!" 

"I  wish  he  wouldn't.  He  is  wasting  his  time  and 
spoiling  our  chances  for  advancement." 

"Oh,  do  come  in,"  insisted  Mrs.  Parker,  tugging 
at  her  friend,  "We'll  come  out  early." 

They  entered.  Several  thousand  persons  filled 
the  hall,  but  somebody  made  room  on  the  end  of  an 
aisle  for  the  two  ladies. 

By  seven  o'clock  the  place  was  so  crowded  that  the 
leaders  had  to  proceed. 

Kromer  introduced  Norling  with  a  sincere  tribute 
to  the  man  whom  his  sad  bereavement  did  not  pre- 
vent from  appearing  on  the  platform  to  champion 
the  workers'  cause. 

Norling  looked  pale  and  broken  down,  but  his 
mind  was  keen  and  alert.  For  a  time  it  had  been 
like  a  ship  without  an  anchor  and  without  a  course, 
but  now  all  mental  energy  was  concentrated  as  for 
the  final  effort  of  an  unrewarded  life. 


78  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

He  pressed  through  history,  gathering  all  the 
sweat  and  all  the  tears  into  a  lake  which  he  placed 
at  the  door  of  Nanglow  &  Stillmansworth.  Then 
he  combed  the  world,  gathering  all  the  glories  of 
creative  art  and  labor  into  a  shining  halo  and  this 
he  placed  upon  the  heads  of  his  spellbound  audience. 
He  then  came  to  a  close  with  an  appeal  for  holding 
together  and  holding  out,  and  concluded  by  assuring 
them  of  certain  victory. 

The  speech  was  received  with  close  attention  and 
rewarded  with  deafening  applause. 

Mrs.  Parker,  too,  was  carried  away  by  sympathy. 
"They  are  right,  I  believe,"  she  said  to  her  friend, 
"don't  you  think  so?" 

"I  don't  trust  him,  I  just  don't  trust  him!"  re- 
plied Mrs.  Clancy. 

The  chairman  introduced  as  the  next  speaker  a 
friend  who  was  to  speak  to  the  French  portion  of  the 
audience,, in  their  own  language. 

"I  thought  Clancy  was  to  be  the  second  speaker," 
remarked  a  man,  sitting  just  in  front  of  Mrs.  Clancy, 
to  his  neighbor. 

"Why,  he  won't  speak  any  more  this  side  of  the 
gate." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"He  fell  down  from  the  scaffolding,  three  sto- 
ries  

A  subdued  scream  came  from  the  throat  of  the 
woman  behind.  Her  mind  turned  blank  white,  then 
steel  gray,  finally  jet  black.  Big,  stout  Mrs.  Clancy 
swooned.  She  fainted  away  as  would  the  last  and 
the  least  of  the  "mixed  pickle"  audience  struck  in  the 
same  way.     She  was  carried  out  of  the  hall,  the  in- 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  79 

cident  being  noticed  by  only  a  few  nearby.  The  big 
mass  riveted  its  attention  on  the  novelty  of  a  French 
speaker.  Indeed,  the  ocean  of  life  will  not,  cannot, 
stop  moving  because  some  of  its  waves  are  cut  in 
two  by  the  ship  of  adversity. 

Frank's  athletic  build  commanded  respect  which 
his  harsh  and  monotonous  voice  soon  reduced  to  a 
very  small  measure.  Still,  the  mass  of  humanity  lis- 
tened as  he  spoke: 

"Dear  Friends,"  he  said,  "I  was  requested  to 
speak  a  few  words  in  French  for  solidarity  amongst 
different  nationalities  as  we  are. 

"Permit  me  to  say  that  the  horrible  conflict  of 
Europe  is  the  most  tragically  eloquent  appeal  for 
avoidance  of  provincial  jealosies.  With  due  respect 
for  the  habitual  feelings  of  each  of  you,  I  suggest 
that  the  kind  of  patriotic  sentiments  that  brought 
on  such  a  climax  cannot  be  sound  and  should  not 
be  cultivated. 

"Time  was,  when  people  made  war  upon  each 
other  in  behalf  of  different  deities  until  the  idea  of 
one  God  deprived  the  thirst  for  blood  of  that  ex- 
cuse. So,  it  is  necessary  to  eliminate  patriotism  as 
an  excuse  for  carnage  and  devastation.  As  the  idea 
of  one  God  prevailed  and  prevented  further  blood- 
shed on  the  score  of  theistic  speculation,  so  the  idea 
of  the  oneness  of  humanity  shall  forever  banish  the 
hatreds  which  feed  the  flames  of  war. 

"My  Friends,  do  not  let  the  accident  of  birth  de- 
prive you  of  sympathy  for  and  from  large  multitudes. 
Especially,  people  in  this  country  must  nurture  good 
will  toward  each  other,   for  a  free  America  is  the 


80  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

surest  guarantee  against  the  absolute  enslavement  of 
the  world.  If  we  behave  worthily,  this  country  may 
by  its  very  weight  draw  all  the  others  into  a  federa- 
tion of  the  world,  that  dream  which  must  be  realized 
to  bring  mankind  nearer  its  destiny  perfection. 

"Of  course,  you  have  feelings  that  grew  with  your 
growth,  but  consider  the  country  first " 

"Zut!"     Cried  a  voice  up  in  the  gallery. 

Frank  knitted  his  brow  and  raised  his  hand  warn- 
ingly.  "Make  no  mistake,  my  friends!  These  are 
extraordinary  days  when  a  little  fire  may  cause  the 
most  terrific  conflagration.  Suppose  trainloads  of 
men  should  be  imported  to  take  your  place " 

"Zut!"  This  time  it  was  the  shrill  voice  of  the 
Canadian  that  uttered  the  cry  and  it  was  followed 
by  a  number  of  others : 

"Trahison!" 

"Voleur!" 

"Foutez  le  dehors !" 

Instantly  the  cries  were  translated  into  a  dozen 
languages:  "Liar!"  "Faker!"  "Thief!"  "Graft- 
er!" "Get  the  hook!"  "Knock  him  down!"  and 
similar  cries  filled  the  hall. 

Kromer  tried  in  vain  to  still  the  mass  of  shouting 
humanity. 

A  number  of  men  climbed  up  the  platform.  One 
spoke  to  Norling:  "He  make  Spread  Eagle  speech 
and  suggest  us  to  be  scabs." 

The  others  grabbed  the  cobbler  and  expedited  him 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  man  felt  it  in  his  joints 
for  a  year. 

Norling  was    deeply    agitated,   he   leaped    to    the 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  81 

front  and  raised  his  right  hand  for  silence.  At  the 
sight  of  the  leader  the  crowd  quieted  down. 

"Fellow  workers !"  he  cried,  "I  did  not  expect  this 
man  to  talk  about  strike  breaking.  I  don't  know 
what  happened  to  him.  But  I  do  know  that  against 
the  dirtiest  corruption  there  is  yet  one  appeal."  He 
raised  two  clenched  fists  up  in  the  air  and  cried: 
"Appeal  to  force!" 

A  big,  tall  man  stepped  out  from  nowhere  and  laid 
a  heavy  hand  on  the  speaker's  shoulder.  "I  am 
arrested,"  he  cried,  "but  you  have  the  best  of  them. 
Stick  together  and  hold  out!" 

As  Norling  was  led  off,  pandemonium  broke  loose. 
New  and  louder  cries  filled  the  hall :  "Shame !"  "Dis- 
grace!" "Free  speech!"  "Worse  than  Russia!" 
"Demolish  the  plant !" 

Here,  too,  the  shrill  voice  of  the  Canadian  rose 
above  the  rest,  "Let  us  demonstrate!"  he  yelled, 
"Smash  the  windows!"  This  cry  found  several 
echoes  and  a  group  of  men  started  jostling  toward 
the  exit.  They  saw  the  form  of  a  girl  with  a  letter 
in  her  hand,  struggling  to  reach  the  platform.  They 
felt  instinctively  that  some  important  turn  was 
taking  place. 

"Wait !"  yelled  the  shrill  voice  and  the  nucleus  of 
the  moving  group  halted  the  rest. 

Kromer  had  tried  to  save  the  leader,  but  Norling's 
taker  found  no  time  to  listen  to  him,  and  his  remon- 
strance against  the  arrest  of  Norling  went  unheeded. 
When  the  uproar  was  at  its  highest  he  saw  a  figure 
trying  to  reach  the  platform  and  he  recognized  Clara 
Milton. 

Feelings  of  shame,  disgust  and  defiance  rushed  the 


82  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

blood  up  to  his  head.  He  lifted  the  table  on  which 
his  gavel  had  hammered  in  vain,  and  brought  it  down 
with  such  a  force  that  it  broke  into  pieces. 

A  murmur  of  laughter  ran  through  the  hall,  then 
once  more  quiet  prevailed.  Clara  took  no  time  for 
cHmbing  the  stairs  on  the  side  of  the  hall.  She  was 
lifted  to  the  platform,  gaspingly  said  a  few  words  to 
Kromer  and  handed  him  the  letter. 

The  crowd  knew  that  the  news  concerned  them  all 
and  waited  breathlessly  for  its  announcement. 

"Brothers,"  declared  Kromer,  after  glancing  over 
the  letter,  "brothers,  the  wage  increase  for  which  we 
were  ready  to  strike  is  being  offered  us  and  a  cordial 
invitation  to  present  the  rest  of  our  demands.  Still- 
mansworth  is  with  us!" 

Somebody  proposed  three  cheers  for  Kromer, 
which  were  lustily  given  and — maybe — no  one  noticed 
how  he  transmitted  this  appreciation  to  the  girl 
whose  hand  he  held  in  thanks  for  the  message — a 
longer  while  than  mere  business  would  require. 

The  crowd  broke  up  in  groups  which  started  on 
tours  of  jubilation.  But  at  least  one  man  in  the 
crowd  went  off  disappointed 

Next  morning's  papers  brought  the  news  that  half- 
a-million-dollars  damage  was  caused  overnight  by  a 
fire  at  the  Nanglow  &  Stillmansworth  plant. 

Also  it  was  reported  that  on  account  of  the  liber- 
ality of  the  firm  the  threatened  labor  troubles  had 
been  averted. 

The  fact  that  thirteen  bombs  had  been  discovered 
in  the  cellar  of  the  main  building  was  relegated  to  a 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  83 

XXIV 

LOST    AND    FOUND 

Days,  weeks,  months,  a  year  passed  under  the 
stress  of  the  World  War.  Cynics  claimed  it  would 
last  at  least  thirty-one  years,  because  this  generation 
is  bound  to  break  all  records,  including  duration  of 
war.  Powder  City  came  to  regard  it  as  a  normal 
state  of  affairs.  Houses  were  raised  like  mush- 
rooms and  rents  shot  up  like  sky  rockets.  Schemers 
went  fishing  in  the  troubled  waters.  Editors  boasted 
of  prosperity  and  ascribed  it  to  the  party  in  control 
of  the  government  or  to  the  party  trying  to  get  in. 

All  this  left  Frank,  the  cobbler,  undiscouraged  and 
undismayed.  He  found  an  excuse  or  an  explanation 
for  all  occurrences,  never  losing  his  ideals  or  lower- 
ing his  hopes.  But  one  morning  the  limit  of  his  en- 
durance was  reached  because  of  a  two-column  article 
in  one  of  the  local  newspapers. 

Under  the  title,  "An  American  Romance,"  the  ar- 
ticle gave  a  glowing  account  of  felicitations  showered, 
by  officials  and  notables  of  the  town,  on  Maltea 
Credolini,  whom  a  European  monarch  decorated  with 
the  "honor  and  insignia"  of  nobility. 

Surely  that  was  not  much  for  a  dreamer  of  de- 
mocracy to  discount,  but,  like  the  proverbial  straw 
that  broke  the  camel's  back,  it  took  the  cheer  out 
of  Frank's  disposition. 

His  thoughts  formed  a  funeral  procession  to  bury 
his  ideals  and  hopes,  living  entities  whose  loss  is  the 
saddest  bereavement  of  all;  and  the  more  tragic, 
the   stronger  and  longer  they  have  been  cherished. 


84  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

The  very  thought  he  combated  all  his  life  ascended 
in  his  own  mind  to  a  sort  of  presiding  officer  thai 
shut  off  other  thoughts  with  the  gloomy  declaration : 
"no  use,  no  use !" 

It  was  a  relief  for  Frank  to  greet  his  old  friend 
Kromer  whom  he  had  scarcely  seen  since  the  memor- 
able experience  at  Clarendon  Hall. 

"I  haven't  seen  you  for  ever  so  long ;  what  brought 
you  up  this  way?" 

"You  are  the  whole  attraction.     I  just  couldn't 
stand  it  any  longer.     How  are  you  and  how  is  busi- 
ness with  you.?    You  know  we  settled,  far  from  here." 
"More  people  come  around  for  my  scoldings  than 
ever  before,  but  I  guess  I  will  give  it  up." 

"You  give  up.''  I  can  never  believe  it.  Say,  what 
happened  that  could  make  you  feel  blue  even  for  a 
day.?" 

"Look  at  this." 

Kromer  read  the  article.  His  face  showed  resent- 
ment, but  at  the  end  he  broke  out  laughing  most 
hilariously. 

"Why,"  inquired  Frank,  "what  are  you  laughing 
at.?    Whatis  the  joke.?" 

"Can't  you  see  it.?  It  is  a  joke  on  Thomas  who 
hated,  with  all  his  heart,  Credolini  and  yet  helped 
him  to  'high  social  distinction.'  " 

"Distinction,"  grumbled  the  cobbler. 
"Well,  some  people  are  ashamed  of  what  should 
be  their  pride,  like  work,  for  instance — and  others 
are  proud  of  what  is  really  disgraceful,  like  acting 
the  flunkey.  Didn't  you  say  that  some  brains  are 
educated  wrong  side  up.?" 

"I  said  so,  but  that  does  not  explain  the  joke." 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    HOPE  85 

"Yes,  it  does.  You  can  bet  it  was  Thomas  who 
smuggled  the  bombs  into  the  cellar  and  Credolini 
who  discovered  them.  Now  his  rich  uncle,  Maltea 
Credolini,  is  made  a  member  of  royal  knighthood 
and  Giordano  Credolini,  the  sweeper,  is  among  the 
celebrants  of  the  occasion.  This,  of  course,  is  an- 
other American  romance,  but  I  wonder  what  Thomas 
thinks  about  it." 

"Thomas!  Who  would  succumb  to  pebbles  quite 
so  small?  But  look  at  the  quarry — the  city  itself. 
Mayor,  congressman,  postmaster,  editor,  chief  of 
police,  all  trying  to  outdo  each  other  in  declaring 
how  proud  they  are  of  "Nobility"  in  America. 

"Bubbles!  Don't  take  such  stuff  seriously. 
What's  the  matter  with  you?  Don't  you  know  that 
it  is  Credolini's  money  the  politicians  have  such  great 
respect  for?" 

"I  know.  I  also  know  such  wealth  is  not  intended 
for  perpetuating,  promoting  and  improving  Demo- 
cratic institutions." 

Kromer's  face  took  on  a  serious  look  which  the 
cobbler  noticed. 

Downcast  as  he  felt,  Frank  did  not  want  to  dis- 
hearten another.  He  searched  for  something  else 
to  speak  about.  Remembering  Clara,  he  asked  about 
her:     "How  is  the  little  one?" 

"Fine,  fine !"  exclaimed  Kromer,  in  whose  mind  the 
picture  of  Clara  was  eclipsed  by  another. 

His  face  grew  radiant  with  joy  as  he  continued: 
"Fine,  I  tell  you!  Best  kid  on  earth!  Woke  me 
only  six  times  last  night."  Then  coming  nearer  and 
bending  close  to  the  cobbler,  with  intense  seriousness 


86  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

as  if  to  learn  the  secret  of  the  universe,  he  asked: 
"Say,  Frank,  do  other  babies  smile?" 

The  cobbler  suppressed  a  laugh.  What  a  naive 
question  from  a  man  over  thirty !  He  saw  the  love- 
light  and  the  wonder  in  the  young  father's  eyes. 
In  a  few  seconds,  while  his  hammer  tapped  slowly, 
Frank's  mind  swept  around  the  globe  and  performed 
a  mathematical  calculation: 

"Every  year  seventy  million  fresh  souls  come  to 
earth,  plus  twice  as  many  intellects  which  discover 
the  world  anew,  plus  infinite  time  ahead " 

"Yes,"  Frank  answered,  his  heart  grew  lighter  and 
his  hammer  came  down  in  a  strong,  decisive  stroke; 
"yes,  Kromer,  all  babies  do,  and  they  have  a  right 
to  smile!" 


PART    TWO 

BROAD    VIEW 

Sonnets  on  Life,  Love  and  Justice 


FOR    ALL    THAT 

Count  every  tremor  through  the  thundr'ous  night 

A  trembling,  rumbling,  quaking  earth  has  felt; 

Add  all  vibrations  of  the  ether-belt 

Through  which  it  speeds  in  many-motioned  flight — 

Add  all  the  pangs  and  sorrows,  grief  and  fright 

That  soulless  hearts  and  heartless  souls  have  dealt, 

Wherever  for  a  moment  they  have  dwelt ; 

Then  shed  upon  your  total  sum  the  light 

Of  simplest  common  knowledge  and  behold! 

The  law  of  gravitation  as  of  old, 

With  all  the  fractious  elements  doth  cope. 

And  so  by  law  that  sways  the  universe, 

By  laws  of  love  and  growth  that  life  infers. 

The  crest  of  vision  ever  must  be  hope. 


GRAND    RIVER 

Within  the  social  state  a  river  flows 
That  only  few  look  at  with  due  regard. 
Though,  in  its  water  dwells  the  soul  of  art 
And,  too,  the  most  enchanting  glory  glows. 
Each  drop  therein  more  slow  than  pearl  grows, 
And  slower  still  can  current  force  impart; 
Yet  every  noble  mind  its  pulsing  heart 
Impassioned,   glad,  into   this   river  throws. 
For  where  its  waves  may  touch  a  barren  shore 
The  countryside  is  blooming  evermore. 
The  smiling  trees  bring  fruit  in  pure  delight. 
And  grateful  flowers'  lovely  fragrance  weld 
In  love  and  gratitude,  all  those  who  swelled 
This  river  grand,  the  sacred  river  Right, 


90  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

3 

ANCESTRY 

At  best  the  body's  life  draws  but  a  span 

While  none  can  set  a  limit  to  the  mind. 

Who  knows  of  thoughts,  how  they  will  wind  and  wind 

Through  secret  channels,  or  the  open  van? 

The  body  may  be  claimed  by  clique  or  clan 

Who  yet  deny  the  oneness  of  mankind 

But,  oh,  the  soul  is  ever  free  to  find 

Its  backward  reach  as  well  as  prospect-plan. 

Keen  searchlights  of  the  understanding  pierce 

Historic  mist  to  gild  our  pioneers 

With  filial  love;  we  kiss  their  wounds  and  scars 

Whom  we  own  sires  to  our  onward  climb — 

Picked  from  all  ages  and  from  every  clime, 

We  trace  our  lineage  to  the  shining  stars. 

PROGRESS 

Should  hope  persist  when  head  and  heart  and  hand 
For  noble  efforts  made  have  only  scars 
To  show?     But  pains,  for  facing  mountain  bars 
Whose  very  shadows  menacingly  stand 
To  frighten  every  new  advancing  band? 
What  mountain  peaks !     Their  burning  lava  chars 
The  boldest  and  the  best  to  death.     Ye  stars. 
How  many  tried  the  cutting  through  them,  and 
To  blow  them  off  what  floods  of  sighs  had  flown ! 
Yet  there  the  mountains  stretch  along  and  own 
With  boasts  their  crushing  weight;  but  oh,  a  fringe 
Of  them  is  gone !     As  souls  upon  them  tossed. 
Some  fragments  of  the  mountain-stretch  got  lost 
And  all  the  rugged  barriers  sunk  an  inch. 


BROAD    VIEW  91 

5 

POWER 

Once  ruin  stared  where  now  sweet  lustre  gleams. 
What  saved  the  day?     Oh,  in  some  obscure  place 
A  drop  of  water  saved  a  hidden  brace; 
One  drop  of  water  in  the  score  of  streams 
That  quelled  the  fire,  had  turned  the  beams 
Of  awful  balance  from  despair  to  grace; 
Brought  rose-hued  color  to  the  bloodless  face. 
And  in  the  stead  of  nightmares,  peaceful  dreams. 
Oh,  which  drop  was  it?     Which  should  we  adore? 
Could  it  have  conquered  but  for  those  before? 
And  can  we  trace  it  through  the  solar  light 
That  must  absorb  them  all?     In  truth,  you  see. 
Life  gives  us   all  an  equal  chance  to  be 
World-saving  atoms  in  the  streams  of  right. 

6 

NEWCOMER 

He  came  into  a  city  wondrous,  great, 

A  teeming  world  where  none  knew  him  before, 

Arriving  poor  and  from  an  unknown  shore,_ 

Yet  he  was  welcomed  with  considerate 

Attention,  dressed  in  finery  ornate; 

And  though  he  nearly  killed  one  at  the  door. 

Folks  showered  on  him  smiles  and  love  galore ; 

Then  made  his  coming  an  affair  of  state! 

A  delegation  gathered  with  the  aim 

To  celebrate  in  joy  because  he  came. 

They  could  not  be  more  pleasing,  kinder,  nor 

Would  any  glance  that  festival  belie. 

Can  such  reception  be  inspired  by 

Can  it  be  meant  for  purposes  of  war? 


92  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 


CAUSE  OF  WAR 

Is  there  a  soul  so  unsophisticated 

As  not  to  know  the  war-cause  between  nations? — 

Producing  oil  for  future  conflagrations, 

The  war,  it  will  rage  on  to  time  undated; 

Rage  till  the  curse  itself  becomes  abated, 

By  putting  all  its  agents  on  short  rations. 

Exterminating  them  on  first  occasions. 

Oh,  don't  you  know  the  horrid  group  and  hoary? 

Insane  Debasement,  False  Conceit,  Vain  Glory, 

Wrong  Want,  Wrung  Wealth,  in  various  disguise- 

Whoever  feeds  them  with  a  single  thought. 

Ingredients   for  mammoth  bombs   has   wrought. 

Who  drains  their  strength  deserves  a  Noble  Prize. 


PLEA    TO    POSTERITY 

Perhaps  in  search  of  more  vainglorious  fame, 
Or  craving  luxuries,  or  some  new  play 
The  lords  of  war  stood  up  in  proud  array 
And  started  on  their  old,  ancestral  game.  .  .  . 
Some  nations  fall  upon  the  battle  plain 
And  some  rejoice  in  profits  come  their  way; 
What  Peace-at-any-price  must  fail  to  pay. 
By  war-at-any-rate  they  would  maintain; 
Poor  common  sense  succumbs  to  tribal  urge, 
The  tattooed  creatures  round  their  totems  surge 
Forgetting  world  ideals.     What  a  fall! 
O  souls  to  come,  minds  of  a  wiser  age. 
Think  of  our  days  in  pity  more  than  rage — 
Not  all  of  us  are  guilty  thus,  not  all.  .   .  . 


BROAD    VIEW  93 

9 

AMERICANISM 

From  equity  asunder,  wealth  must  fag; 
Apart  from  right,  a  law  is  not  revered; 
Except  in  love  the  given  kiss  has  erred; 
Except  for  lofty  thought  behind  a  flag. 
And  great  ideals,  it  is  but  a  rag 
Of  no  or  false  account.     O  standard,  shared 
By  many  bloods!     Plead  justice,  undeterred 
By  tongues  that  only  for  themselves  can  wag — 
The  mingling  of  the  races  here  begun. 
Shall  yield,  in  time,  a  nation  better  far 
Than  fancy  weaveth  in  its  highest  flight. 
Meanwhile,  we  may  act  leastwise  on  a  par 
With  common  sense;  preserving,  as  we  won, 
A  continent  free  from  the  royal  blight. 

10 

NEW-YEAR    SPIRIT 

On  moves  in  spiral  rounds  the  haltless  earth 

According  law  whose  mighty  cosmic  bell 

Inaugurates  the  seasons ;  when  the  kneU 

Of  it  proclaims  another  circle's  birth, 

Hope  rises  from  the  slumberous  state  begirt 

With  good  will  that,  enthroned  for  a  wee  spell. 

Would  make  forever  life  to  be  all  well; 

A  boon  of  strength  and  joy,  of  love  anr\  m^rth. 

Good  will!     Think  not  its  tokens  mere  preiense, 

For  even  habits  grew  as  will  inclined. 

The  virile  power  of  that  subtle  sense 

May  help  us,  somewhere  in  the  wide  expanse 

Of  untrod  virgin  space  and  time,  to  find 

The  track  of  happiness  for  all  mankind. 


94  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

11 

SEX    AND    PEACE 

The  countless  stars  in  space  their  course  arrange 
To  glide  each  other  by;  why  should,  then,  not 
Bright,  thoughtful  souls,  things  lighter  than  a  "watt" 
Of  sparks,  refrain  from  clashing  and  revenge? 
If  action  serves  well,  why  curtail  its  range? 
Why  fret  about  sex- jurisdiction,  that 
Perennial  nonsense :  Who  is  fit  for  what. 
On  this  old  earth  of  never-ceasing  change? 
Let  her  who  will,  rhyme  verse  or  criticise. 
And  him  of  such  desires  set  to  make 
Delicious,  most  exquisite  pies  and  cake; 
For  none  so  crude  but  likes  poetic  lies. 
And  all  who  rather  live  on  nuts  than  bake. 
Still,  dearly  love  artistic  cakes  and  pies. 

12 

CALL    OF    LOVE 

Each  man  and  woman  nature  has  ordained 

(As  compensation  for  the  coarse  and  rude 

In  life)  to  woo  and  also  to  be  wooed 

Through  that  grand  symphony  wherein  contained 

Hearts  thrill,  exalt;  wherein  most  finely  strained 

Sweet  melodies  raise  the  enraptured  mood 

So  humblest  men  know  highest  beatitude 

That  ever  on  this  planet  can  be  gained. 

Oh,  downcast  souls,  to  whom  the  universe 

Is  like  the  empty  jingling  of  a  verse 

Without  a  purpose,  and  to  whom  out  of 

Heart's  tenderness  the  world  seems  all  amiss. 

Who  can't  respect  the  social  edifice 

Because  of  what  it  lacks, — just  fall  in  love. 


BROAD    VIEW  95 

13 

LIGHT    OF    LOVE 

Just  fall  in  love !     Upon  the  first  faint  spell 
Of  it,  in  some  one  corner  of  the  mind 
Appears  a  tiny  little  light  outlined 
In  rosy  hue;  as  thoughts  upon  it  dwell 
The  light  communicates  from  cell  to  cell, 
Their  radiations  crossing,  intertwined 
Become  a  sun  the  like  which  never  shined 
Before.     How  paint  its  wonder  work,  how  tell? 
Each  blessed  day  a  burst  of  dazzling  grace 
Radiant  glory  brings,   at  last   a  blaze 
Of  perfect  happiness  without  alloy — 
And  ever  after,  with  time-mellowed  rays. 
It  shows  a  thousand  billion  wondrous  ways 
To  grow  and  pluck  and  offer  fruits  of  joy. 

14 

TEST    OF    LOVE 

'Tis  not  with  lustre  in  his  sparkling  eyes, 

With  crimson  roses  glowing  on  her  cheeks 

That  heart  to  heart  its  inmost  message  speaks. 

But  bring  to  mind  when  beaten,  amidst  cries 

Of  "shame,"  he  falls ;  or  see  her  as  she  lies 

Sick,  haggard ;  helpless  through  long,  weary  weeks ; 

And,  if  impulse  to  soothe  more  urgent  seeks 

Than  ever-trembling  passion's  voice  tries 

To  plead  its  longings — if  such  be  the  thrall 

That  one  would  shoulder  any  task  at  all 

To  take  the  hurt  out  of  the  other's  plight 

Then,  then,  the  priceless  jewel  had  been  found 

That  pen  and  palette  vainly  try  to  mount 

So  as  to  show  forth  all  its  charming  light. 


96  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

15 

THE    SONNET 

A  surge  of  feeling,  then  a  flash  of  thought, 

Then  keen  desire,  a  compelling  start 

To  shed  the  light-rays  which  in  one's  own  heart 

Shone  kindly  and  had  satisfaction  wrought. 

Then  come  the  battles,  sternly  all,  hard-fought, 

With  difficulties  towering  high,  a  part 

To  overcome  which  is  the  joy  of  art. 

A  little  sonnet  should  be  deftly  fraught 

With  much  good  sense  and  yet  be  cutely  clear. 

What  you  hold  high  you  also  must  make  dear. 

Where  you  would  follow,  lead.  ...  A  sonnet  may 

Cost  only  minutes  or  some  wakeful  nights. 

But  all  through  measures  and  through  fancy's  flights 

It  bears  a  message  which  it  must  convey. 

16 

HER    TEMPTATION 

"No,  no !"  she  said,  a  thousand  times  again. 

Repelling  each  sinister  dark  attack; 

Not  out  of  primal  strength,  not  for  the  lack 

Of  burning  heart  desire  to  attain 

The  red-hued  joySj  the  want  of  which  like  pain 

Consumes  the  flesh;  but  wise  to  what  is  back 

Of  them  she  held  her  own  esteem,  alack, 

Against  great  odds  that  poured  on  her  like  rain.   .   .  . 

"For,"  said  she,  "if  I  heed  not  virtue's  call 

Not  only  do  I  bring  on  my  own  fall. 

But  drag  with  me  down  to  the  nether  flood 

Where  all  the  demons  of  the  past  do  drill. 

The  social  structure — fair  as  human  will — 

To  raise  which  all  the  martyrs  shed  their  blood." 


BROAD    VIEW  97 

17 

HIS    TEMPTATION 

"No,  no,"  he  said,  and,  oh,  it  was  so  hard 

With  all  his  soul  and  aU  his  heart  afire, 

With  all  his  sinews  craving  for  a  lyre 

That  would  be  heard  throughout  the  world  of  art! 

What  tragedy  for  a  true  born  bard 

To  live  on  mute,  become  a  gray-haired  sire. 

Whose  children  sow  the  wind  or  reap  the  fire.  .  .  . 

He  would  not  heed  the  orders  of  the  mart! — 

"For,"  said  he,  "if  I  leastwise  taint  my  song 

To  all  who  ever  hear  it  I  do  wrong. 

To  die  unknown  is  better  than  a  wedge 

In  fame  with  truth  a-bleeding;  to  withhold 

Or  screen  our  light  is  cheating  young  and  old 

Of  that  which  is  the  world's  due  heritage." 

18 

SHAKESPEARE 

Let  one  more  pilgrim  place  the  laurel  wreath 
Upon  your  memory.     Unlike  the  sun, 
Your  light  shines  undiminished  on  and  on; 
Unlike  the  king's  the  sword  that  you  unsheathe 
Is  blade  for  all.     'Tis  life  you  wisely  breathe. 
Unlike  the  prophets'  lines  that  they  had  spun 
Around  the  aftermath,  your  words  have  teeth! 
You  flourish  truth  for  its  own  gracious  sake. 
Immortal  master  soul,  sweet  bard,  oh  take 
The  thanks  of  all  who  have  no  day  to  rue 
Because  your  music  swelled  the  flowing  years. 
Because  your  song  was  ringing  in  our  ears 
And  your  advice:  to  thine  own  self  be  true. 


98  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

19 

BABEL    OF    DOCTUINES! 

As  if  the  many  tongues  of  varied  lands 

Were  insufficient  mankind  to  confuse, 

Diverging  groups  divergent  doctrines  choose — 

Some  search  the  scriptures  and  show  forth  commands 

Of  God,  while  others  find  in  rocks  and  plants 

Most  clearly  stated  laws  of  living,  whose 

Requirement  their  summaries  produce; 

To  others  yet,  all  things  but  Karma  hands. 

Some  by  the  holy  prophet  Mahomet 

And  some  by  Ingersoll  will  swear,  and  yet — 

And  yet  their  hearts  be  of  the  selfsame  font 

Their  souls  alike  intolerant,  morose. 

Forsooth,  there  are  but  two  divisions,  those 

Who  mean  well  and  do  right  and  those  who  don't. 

20 

POLYGLOT    PHILOSOPHY 

Like  music  instruments,  just  so  the  tongue 

Has  thousand  means  the  selfsame  thing  to  tell. 

As  station's  gong  and  highest  steeple's  bell 

Proclaim  but  time,  just  so  the  short  and  long 

Of  languages  and  creeds  is  but  the  Song 

Of  Life.    Each  tongue  and  theory  will  dwell 

Within  and  round  about  the  same  old  well 

Of  joy  and  grief,  of  human  right  and  wrong. 

What  will  eradicate  discordant  notes, 

May  be  decided  by  the  wit  and  votes 

Of  future  generations.     In  the  temples 

Of  tongues  and  creeds,  though,  there  is  room  and  call 

For  action  which  is  understood  by  all — 

For  following  and  setting  good  examples. 


BROAD    VIEW  99 

21 

BLAME 

Society  lays  tons  upon  the  back 

Of  human  weakness  which  can  hardly  stand 

The  weight  of  one  small  pinch  of  simple  sand. 

Still  worse,  some  individuals,  alack. 

Break  often  down  before  a  real  attack 

Is   made  upon   them  by   the  heavy  hand 

Of  bleak  adversity.     Some  Voices  blend 

In  shrilly  concert  steadily  to  whack 

One  or  the  other;  still  the  lure  of  gold 

Leads  some  their  souls  the  better  to  unfold. 

While  merely  thoughts  of  frost  make  others  slip. 

Who  is  at  fault,  the  person  or  the  grip 

Of  laws?     The  ones  who  cry,  or  those  who  laugh.'* 

Perhaps  both  are  at  fault,  just  half  and  half. 

22 

CASTE 

Oh,  how  particles  love  to  feel  of  main 
Importance !     Why,  a  shining  spoke  of  brass 
Within  the  wheel  may  boast  of  its  "high  class" 
And  view  the  axle  grease  with  proud  disdain. 
A  tiny  talent  or  an  extra  grain 
Of  knowledge  often  will  assume  most  crass 
Superior  airs.     Most  units  in  the  mass 
A  "better-than-thou"  attitude  maintain, 
And  thus  promote  the  wide-felt  social  chill 
That  makes  the  ice  of  prejudice  to  fill 
The  hearts  of  men  so  they  can't  understand 
Each  other.     Much  we  spend  for  nothing  gained. 
Our  poor  world  will  be  rich  when  it  attained 
A  platform  on  which  all  can  proudly  stand. 


100  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

23 

HOPE 

Most  loyal  friend!     All  over  hill  and  glen 

(Though  faith  in  justice  scarcely  has  a  chance), 

What  glory  shines  forth  from  your  countenance! 

When  old  savants  wept,  systems  tumbled;  when 

The  very  gods  have  failed  in  saving  men, 

You  stood  by  us,  and  we  in  preference 

To  reason's  gloom  sought  refuge  in  your  trance. 

We  change  your  appellation  when  it  ran 

Its  course,  and  dress  you  in  the  neatest  fine 

New  cloaks  that  fact  and  fancy  in  combine 

Can  well  produce.     As  for  the  future,  let 

The  cannons  belch  their  worst  and  storms  still  frown, 

The  star  of  mankind  will  not  crumble  down. 

For  hope  is  with  us,  hope  is  with  us  yet! 

24i 

INDEPENDENCE 

The  world  is  full  of  ailing,  sickly  men; 

Physicians  of  the  body  serve  us, — well. 

Sometimes  at  least — when  driven  by  a  spell 

Of  pain  to  doctors'  or  the  surgeons'  den. 

Yet,  one  who  needs  them  not,  a  specimen 

Of  robust  health,  tJicT/  praise  the  most.     They  tell 

Us  all  about  the  art  of  keeping  well. 

But  shepherds  of  the  soul,  with  word  and  pen, 

With  threats  of  Hell  and  bribes  of  Paradise 

Would  force  their  potions  into  all  men's  eyes. 

Alas,  too  many  need  support  to  see 

Their  ways  through  life,  why  deprecate  the  mind 

That  by  itself  a  well-lit  road  can  find 

And  walk  thereon  as  upright  as   can  be.'' 


BROAD    VIEW  101 

25 

RELIGION 

If  pure  and  undefiled  religion  means 

In  mind-lit  lives'  economy  a  part 

That  throbbing  ceaselessly  through  brain  and  heart 

From  joy  improves,  from  vicissitude  but  gleans 

The  granules  of  perfection.     If  to  try, 

A  constant  eifort  for  a  better  start, 

A  wiser  method  and  a  truer  art 

Is  evidence  of  right  belief,  then  I 

Exalt  it  above  all,  and  pray — I  do ; 

My  prayers  are  to  men  and  women  who 

Compose  the  world  to  make  of  it  a  place 

Wherein  the  fold  of  faith  shall  grow  and  roll 

Until,  ennobled,  every  human  soul 

Shall  fit  the  structure  of  a  perfect  race. 

26 

IMMORTALITY 

Some  may  affirm  and  others  may  deny —  \ 

Meanwhile  the  souls  that  truly  consecrate 

Themselves  to  living  right  accentuate 

Life  everlasting.     Clear  as  clearest  sky 

Are  these  plain  facts :  that  in  what  men  create 

The  souls  of  all  the  world  are  incarnate ; 

That  as  we  go  and  as  the  seons  fly 

Good  must  be  nurtured,  evil  must  be  fought. 

So  sure  a  soul  for  mankind's  good  has  wrought 

So  certain  it  will  prosper  and  live  on ! 

On  every  milepost,  in  each  guiding  sign 

There  may  be  seen  and  felt  a  soul-design 

Made  glorious  through  countless  friendships  won. 


-y^^':  :••:•..:  SOCI:^L    CONSCIENCE 

27 

WISDOM 

One  starlit  eve  a  cherub  of  creation 

Appeared  before  the  dreamer  of  his  day, 

And  pleaded :   "Come,  on  wings  of  thought  away 

To  live  in  other,  far-off  constellations ; 

Where  you  can  suit  yourself  with  size  of  rations 

With  color  of  the  sun,  with  length  of  day, 

With  moons  as  many  as  you  care  to  say — 

Just  think  of  it! — Amidst  congenial  nations." 

I  love  my  kind — "Then  stay  here  with  the  rest 

And  mix  your  must-be-so  with  try-for-best," 

The  vision  said,  then  vanished  into  air; 

Its  message,  though,  of  duty  and  of  hoping 

Sheds  kindly  light  where  darkness  was  and  groping — 

Kind  vision,  please,  go  visit  everywhere. 

28 

THE    LAST    DISCOUNT 

Death  stood  perplexed  before  a  man  of  steel 

Who  faced  the  grinning  terror  undismayed; 

Through  sheer  surprise,  it  loosed  its  grip  and  bade 

The  beating  heart  its  secret  to  reveal: 

"In  fear  of  me  uncounted  millions  kneel. 

The  thought  of  me  cuts  like  a  sharpened  blade. 

What  hast  thou  found,  or  else,  what  hast  thou  paid, 

Thus  lightly  to  regard  my  fatal  deal?" 

"Both  found  and  paid — I  paid  in  daily  round 

For  goods  received,  with  willing  heart  and  hand. 

Paid  up  in  honesty  without  protest; 

I  found  that  cheerful  paying  pays,  and  found 

The  Note  of  Life  calls  for  'pay  on  demand' — 

To  die  in  fear  is  dying  dishonest." 


BROAD    VIEW  103 

29 

SUCCESS 

A  moment's  joy,  a  thrill  or  two,  for  one 
Who  reached  the  top  of  some  fair  eminence. 
And  then,  there  comes  the  overpowering  sense 
Of  loneliness;  there  shines  an  austere  sun 
Whose  frigid  rays  remove  the  carefree  fun 
Of  fellowship.     That  short-lived  happy  trance 
Is  valueless,  a  beggar's  recompense 
For  lo !     The  multitude  is  plodding  on 
The  road  of  averages;  yet  stay,  oh  stay 
On  high.  Success,  in  garments  glittering,  gay. 
Proclaiming  splendor  and  obscuring  pain ; 
Your  glory  serves  as  guidance  for  the  rest. 
It  leads  us  all  a-traveling,  at  our  best. 
And  where  that  we  have  failed,  to  try  again. 

80 

ANSWER    TO    ALIi    aUERIES 

What  are  the  stars  for,  shining  in  the  sky? 

What  are  the  waves  for,  rolling  on  the  sea? 

What  are  the  billion  wonders  that  we  see 

And  vainly  try  to  understand?     Ask  why 

All  diamonds  are  outshined,  outglittered  by 

A  pair  of  eyes?     For  what  Olympic  spree 

Do  flowers  bloom  in  color-ecstasy? 

Wherefore  blow  haltless  winds  ?     And  what  for  fly 

The  questions  thickly  all  around  us?     Dear, 

It  all  becomes  explained,  perfectly  clear. 

When  comes  the  splendid,  brightest  marvel-morn 

That  all  the  universal  settings  blend 

Into  a  blissful  marriage  service  and 

Pure  thought  weds  love  to  have  ideas  born.  .  .  . 


104  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

31 

FIEST    CAUSE 

A  university  of  great  repute 

In  metaphysics,  took  up  with  new  zest 

The  problem  of  priorology,  lest 

So  dear  a  thing  become  a  lost  dispute. 

The  female  chicken  or  her  oval  fruit, 

Which  had  been  first  on  earth?     In  skilful  quest 

Words  from  their  meanings  were  divorced  as  best 

The  doctors  can,  then  remarried  to  suit. 

At  last,  through  arduous  toil  they  unlatched 

A  verbal  wind  and  syllable-storm,  that  shook — 

Dry  mental  twigs  into  doubts'  bubbling  brook. 

But  for  all  that  the  world  moves  undismayed; 

When  we  want  eggs,  we  simply  have  them  laid, 

When  we  want  birds,  we  have  them  promptly  hatched. 

32 

TEMPLE    OF    THOUGHT 

With  sandals  off  his  feet,  his  head  bent  low, 

The  mosque  is  entered  by  the  Mussulman; 

How  should  I  follow  onward  in  the  van 

Of  masters  shedding  forth  immortal  glow? 

Through  songs  that  they  upon  the  world  bestow 

It  learns  to  love  the  universal  plan — 

Can  it  be  mine  to  swell  their  music's  span. 

Or  add  a  note  unto  its  soothing*  flow? 

What  sacred  privilege  to  serve  the  muse! 

If  but  for  passing  momentary  use, 

Can  it  be  mine  to  help  the  sound  waves  roll? 

Oh,  master  singers  of  the  great  world's  choice, 

My  only  claim  is  that  whate'er  my  voice 

It  swells  and  quivers  from  my  heart  and  soul. 


BROAD    VIEW  105 

33 

WANTS    OF    LIFE 

Plain  food  and  shelter,  daily  common  wit 

To  laugh;  some  friends  to  cherish  and  respect; 

A  self-reliant,  well-fed  intellect 

With  self-directive,  self-propelling  grit; 

A  world  to  love,  or  any  part  of  it. 

Outside  of  self;  sufficient  human  tact 

To  pass  the  multitude  with  good  effect ; 

And  luck  to  leave  our  pathway  better  lit.   .  .  . 

All  these  belong  within  a  rounded  life 

Of  utmost  pleasure  with  the  least  of  strife ; 

But  we  may  lack  some,  yes,  lack  all  the  rest 

But  one — that  lifts  life's  barge  across  the  shoals — 

The  one  of  love — love  saturated  souls 

Though  pricked  and  torn,  remain  amongst  the  blest. 

34 

HUMAN    TAX 

Thy  soul  feels  right,  thy  days  flow  fairly  well, 

Unscorched  by  burning  passion  to  attain; 

Thou  hast  no  grievance,  not  an  ache  nor  pain; 

Yet  in  those  eyes  of  thine  the  tear-glands  swell. 

Thy  throat  is  choking  in  attempt  to  tell 

Of  thorny,  poison  shrubs  which  thou  wouldst  fain 

Destroy,  sweep  clear  from  off  the  world's  terrain 

To  save  its  bloom  from  flames  of  man-made  hell. 

Smooth  is  the  road  thou  dost  traverse,  a  more 

Inviting  entrance  than  thy  cottage  door 

Earth  cannot  hold ;  and  yet  pain,  suffering's  dart 

From  near  and  far,  from  north,  south,  east  and  west 

Cuts  through  thy  bosom  in  resultful  quest 

Of  salty  dew-drops — just  because  thou  art! 


106  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

35 

THE    WAR    AND    AFTEE 

"This,  too,  will  pass  away,"  and  surely  this 

Huge  sacrifice  upon  the  battle  plain. 

The  martyred,  fallen  hosts   (betrayed  and  slain 

By  civilization's  grim  Judas-kiss). 

And  years  of  terror  can't  be  all  amiss. 

Our  agonies,  our  anguish  and  our  pain 

Shall  not  all  have  been  offered  up  in  vain. 

But  must  be  part  of  one  great  edifice 

Commemorating,  where  we  traveled  on 

The  road  of  evolution,  what  we  won. 

How  grand  the  building!    From  its  top  unfurled 

A  mighty  symbol  floats  (which  all  must  love 

For  what  it  cost  and  means)   a  banner  of 

The  Free  United  Countries  of  the  World. 

36 

ADVANCE 

Now,  when  the  earth  is  steeped  in  crimson  gore, 
And  haunting  hatreds  weary  minds  enmesh; 
When  battle-fields  are  strewn  with  dead  afresh 
Each  day,  and  always  someone  cries :  "Encore !" 
Now,  when  each  half-healed,  half-hid  ancient  sore 
Is  stabbed  anew  to  newly  bleed  the  flesh; 
When  brotherhood  seems  gone  forever  more — - 
Now  is  it  time  to  cast  the  blessed  seed 
Of  love  in  spite  of  hate;  of  neutral  deed 
In  spite  of  world  devouring  tribal  sway. 
Most  diligently  sow  the  golden  grain, 
For  it  and  it  alone  can  ever  gain 
The  peace  of  humankind  in  freedom's  way. 


BROAD    VIEW  107 

37 

KINDNESS    OF    THE    STORM 

Would  you  behold  a  drama  of  supreme 

Arrangement  and  superb  magnificence? 

Observe  the  storm  clouds  in  their  most  intense 

Sky-riding  role.     How  terrorful  they  seem 

As  through  the  darkness,  lightnings  zigzag  gleam. 

Flash  after  flash  glares  forth  efflorescence, 

The  thunders'  rumblings  hither  roll  and  hence. 

While    through    the    air-shafts    winding   wind-blows 

scream. 
All  earth  vibrates  in  trembling  atmosphere, 
Light,  motion,  sound  in  one  tumultuous  sea 
Converge,  yet  you  may  view  it  without  fear. 
This   weather-show,   for  by  its   own  decree 
You  can't  be  struck  by  lightning  that  you  see. 
Nor  hurt  by  crashing  thunder  that  you  hear. 

38 

THANKSGIVING 

No  day  can  spend  its  rays  without  we  think. 
And  thinking  see  the  wondrous  social  hoard. 
From  Nature's  storehouse  taken  to  afford 
Our  nightly  rest,  our  daily  food  and  drink. 
We  see  the  savants  forging  wisdom's  link. 
The  martyrs  who  had  fallen  in  accord 
With  laws  of  risk,  the  heroes  whom  the  horde 
Of  countless  insects  cannot  cause  to  shrink. 
We  see  the  workers  all,  the  multitude 
Whose  head  and  hand  art  and  invention  blent — 
Of  course  our  hearts  go  out  in  gratitude. 
But  can  such  tender  pay  for  muscles  spent. 
For  aching  backs,  sore  joints,  anxious  care? 
My  plea  to  labor  is :  I  do  my  share ! 


108  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 


FAME WHAT    FORT 

Of  all  the  glittering,  glistening  stajless  gauze, 

Of  all  the  bubbles  ever  windward  blown 

To  burst  when  but  a  moment  they  have  flown. 

Fame  is  achievement's  least  substantial  cause. 

Look  at  the  celebrated  rose,  it  was 

A  charming  flower  before  its  name  had  grown 

A  talisman  of  beauty.     Songs  well  known 

Had  melody  before  they  had  applause. 

And  after  all  what  is  this  phantom  Fame? 

Mere  knowledge  of  a  label  or  a  name 

By  few  or  more,  with  more  or  less  regard; 

One  common  pansy  blooming  in  the  mass 

Is  lost  only  to  those  who  heedless  pass — 

The  loom  of  merit  weaves  its  own  reward! 

40 

SONG    OF    THE    LIBRARY 

A  million  books — some  long  unused  had  lain. 

Some  damp  of  print — changed  into  one  great  band 

Of  singing  voices,  sounding  sweet  and  grand; 

The  highest  thrills,  as  well  as  chords  most  plain. 

Enchanting  rose  and  set  the  choir's  strain 

Of  music.     I  could  clearly  understand 

The  burden  of  the  song,  through  every  blend 

This  was  the  "leitmotif,"  the  tuneful  main: 

"Work  for  the  hands,  for  eyes  and  ears  some  art; 

Some  time  for  rest  and  leisure  for  a  stroll; 

The  proper  food  for  body,  just  the  kind 

It  thrives  upon ;  wit,  wisdom  for  the  mind ; 

An  object  of  devotion  for  the  heart 

And  noble  aspirations  for  the  soul." 


BROAD    VIEW  109 

41 

WHAT    IS    TRUTH? 

The  never-ceasing  search  for  truth  in  face 
Of  obstacles  that  tightly  shut  the  light 
Of  knowledge  from  the  world,  is  a  most  bright, 
The  finest,   surest  token  of  high  grace 
Bestowed  by  nature  on  the  human  race. 
But  what  is  truth?     Alas,  how  many  fight 
For  "it"  before  they  solve  the  query  right ; 
Yet  truth  is  clear  as  clearest  sunlit  space! — 
Just  as  regarding  earth's  one  sun,  one  moon, 
No  disputations  mar  agreements'  boon. 
So  concord  can  be  had  in  all  respects — 
And  this  the  key  to  Truth's  resplendent  prize: 
That   mental   concepts    tally,   harmonize 
In  every  way  with  known  external  facts. 

42 

WORK    AND    ART 

Art  beautiful  glanced  at  a  wealthless  heir 
To  labor's  lot  and  made  him  captive.     Chide 
Him  as  she  might,  he  would  not  leave  her  side. 
Once  stopping  her  he  said:  "Oh,  lady  fair, 
Who  could  deny  your  graces?     Yet  I  dare 
To  stigmatize  your  ostentatious  pride ! 
But  for  false  flirts  that  by  your  leave  abide. 
We  might  revel  through  life  a  wedded  pair." 
He  pressed  his  suit  with  longing,  force  and  fire — 
"Here,"  whispered  Art,  "accept  this  shining  lyre 
And  see  what  true  devotion  to  me  is." 
Thence  slaved  he  hours  stolen  with  a  will 
From  play  and  rest,  yet  prospered — on  the  thrill 
That  ever  goes  with  lover's  stolen  kiss. 


110  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

43 

UTERATURE 

The  doors  of  Art,  forever  wide  agape, 
Drew  in  a  couple  through  its  Author's  Day; 
One  could  write  well  but  had  not  much  to  say, 
The  other's  burning  thoughts  could  scarce  escape 
For  lack  of  skill  to  mark  the  rolling  tape 
On  which  the  symbols  of  expression  play; 
Yet  both  felt  bound  to  fetch  from  mortal  clay 
Immortal  sense  in  most  enduring  shape. 
Inside  the  gate  both  faltered:  how  proceed? 
How  fit  ambition's  wings  to  weights  of  deed? 
Should  they  themselves  or  passersby  beguile? 
They  argued  much  though  seeing  all  the  while 
That  words  live  by  the  thought  that  they  have  freed- 
The  work  of  liberation  being  "style." 

44 

TRAGEDY  OF  GREED 

This  is  no  subtle  speculation-wrought 

Conception  of  what  may  a  man  befall, 

But  just  a  sob  for  one  who  gave  up  all 

For  nothing  in  exchange,  the  while  he  thought 

To  have  the  best  and  greatest  bargain  bought — 

Enamored  by  a  whim's  alluring  call 

He  lost  his  hearing  for  mind-music's  thrall. 

Compassion-flowers'  fragrance  vainly  sought 

His  sense  of  smell;  and  then  he  lost  the  field 

Of  joys  that  kind  considerateness  yield; 

At  last  the  lustrous  vision  left  his  eyes 

With  sense  of  justice  gone — and  oh,  this  fake 

Devitalized  existence  he  would  take 

As  being  mankind's  rightful  Paradise! 


BROAD    VIEW  111 

45 

PENALTY    OF    INGRATITUDE 

The  ingrate,  too,  deserves  compassion;  deal 

Not  mercilessly  with  him ;  he  is  blind ; 

The  thrilling  glance  of  thanks  can't  reach  his  mind 

And  good-will's  warm  look  he  cannot  feel. 

His  sightless  eyes  cannot  behold  the  real 

Resplendent  lustre  shining  from  out  kind 

Relation,  nor  yet  see  its  good,  nor  find 

In  savants'  pearly  sweat  their  souls'  appeal. 

For  him  no  grandeur  glows  in  sun-filled  space, 

To  him  the  diamond  is  uncrystalline, 

He  cannot  notice  in  the  very  wine 

He  daily  drinks  its  brilliant  sparkling  grace. 

Through  lack  of  sense  his  gait  is  mischief  bent. 

Such  life!     It  is  its  own  worst  punishment. 

46 

WISDOM    COME 

The  narrow  spirit  of  old  bygone  days 

Let  loose  by  some,  is  trying  every  way 

To  re-establish  its  terrorful  sway 

Through  horrid  sacrificial  murder  plays.   .  .  . 

How  human  beings  frail  the  mode  conveys 

Of  said  reversions  to  crude  types!     Oh,  say, 

Will  savage  feeling  conquer  now  for  aye? 

Will  hymns  of  hate  replace  love's  roundelays?  .  .  . 

Oh,  no !     The  wise  are  with  us  still,  their  station 

Withstands   all   shock,   they   know  not   grudge  nor 

pride. 
They  feel  at  home  wherever  they  reside. 
They  contemplate  the  world  as  one  grand  nation. 
Yes,  truth  is  with  us  still  and  so  betide 
The  earth  shall  witness  Wisdom's  coronation. 


112  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

'47 

NEO-PATRIOTISM 

Oh,  how  I  love  my  own,  my  native  land! 

Beneath  its  multi-colored  rolling  sky 

Grand  panoramas  ever  onward  ply 

And  lights  and  shadows  gloriously  blend, 

Change  hastens  change;  as  by  a  magic  wand 

Bloom  after  bloom  evolves  to  greet  the  sky; 

Great  ships  of  fact  move  on,  and  fancies  fly 

As  far  as  mind  can  see  or  comprehend. 

In  every  nook  there  heaves  a  sturdy  breast 

For  what  it  found,  through  hard  travail,  for  best; 

Or  found  for  truth  on  its  eternal  probe.   .  .   . 

While  all  together  beat  on  as  in  rhyme 

To  immolate  and  render  more  sublime 

My  own,  my  native  land — this  round  wide  globe. 

48 

WELIi-BEING 

A  thought  occurred  to  me  that,  I  well  know. 

But  few  or  none  can  credit  with  the  sign 

Of  truth,  albeit  by  its  sturdy  twine 

I  feel  my  heart  is  being  held  in  tow. 

It  is  the  thought  that  should  none  stand  below 

But  rather  all  above  my  state,  more  fine 

More    strong,    more    wise  .   .   .  what    further    joys 

were  mine. 
How  much  more  gratitude  my  heart  would  owe. 
Let  men  be  famous  in  positions  high. 
Let  all  be  great  and  wise  amongst  whom  I 
As  but  the  poorest  simpleton  may  dwell; 
Let  them  have  jeweled  homes,  gold  shift  on  shift — 
Oh,  how  their  fortune  would  enhance  the  gift 
I  own — which  doth  suffice,  for  I  am  well ! 


BROAD    VIEW  113 

49 

DESTINY    OF    EVIL 

Yes,  Evil  lives  but  what  a  cheerless  life! 

It  cannot  see  the  beauty  in  the  well 

Of  truth,  nor  sweetest  friendship's  fragrance  smell, 

Nor  feel  the  glow  of  righteousness  in  strife. 

It  never  can  taste  joys  of  freedom  rife; 

It  has  no  ears  for  charming  tunes  that  swell 

The  soul  to  sacred  heights  where  just  men  dwell. 

Its  only  sense  is  touch,  that  of  a  knife. 

With  this  it  cuts  what  it  may  edgewise  reach, 

Moved  by  this  single  sense  more  dull  with  each 

New  contact  stupid  (sometimes  though  it  teach). 

In  aimless  fashion  on  a  zigzag  route 

It  staggers,  tumbles  and  must  knock  about 

Until  its  every  cursed  limb  wears  out. 

50 

A    REQUEST 

If  aught  in  all  of  what  I  write  or  say 

Will  add  a  penny's  weight  to  public  weal. 

Let  not  through  birth-chance  kindred  people  steal 

The  credit  for  it — in  the  usual  way — 

To  justify  a  narrow  tribal  sway. 

As  from  the  world's  work  and  by  its  appeal 

I  lived  and  learned  of  the  Righteous  Deal, 

So  it  is  all  the  world  I  would  repay — 

Untrammeled,  in  the  spheres  of  thought  and  feeling, 

The  children  of  my  brain  shall  be  appealing 

To  every  one  below  the  vaulted  sky 

For  Equity,  and  as  in  advocating 

This  soul-deep,  world-wide,  age-old  undertaking 

My  songs  had  birth,  so  let  them  live  or  die. 


PART  THREE 

OMARIA 

An   Appreciation   of   the   Rubaiyat,   Their   Author 
Omar  Khayyam  and  His  Translators 

Read  before  the  Mosaic  Club  of  Bridgeport^  Conn,, 
Febfwary,  1,  1916 


OMARIA 

The  Rubaiyat  of  Omar  Khayyam  constitutes  one 
of  the  many  bright  stars  illuminating  the  intellectual 
heavens  of  mankind.  Round  about  our  planet,  in 
the  physical  world,  wonderful  light-shedding  bodies 
were  set  into  space  and  are  steadily  gracing  it  with- 
out any  effort  on  our  part.  But  the  glowing  lumi- 
naries of  knowledge  and  wisdom  are  created  by 
human  endeavor  and  they  require  intelligent  human 
effort  to  keep  them  and  their  glories  shining  before 
the  pilgrims  of  the  earth. 

Amongst  these  pilgrims  there  always  have  been 
lovers  of  beauty,  truth  and  right,  who  managed  to 
utilize  and  preserve  the  great  beacon  lights  in  the 
skies  of  understanding.  Now  a  wildly  raging  war- 
craze  causes  destruction,  sorrow,  disgrace  on  a  scale 
unknown  in  the  annals  of  the  past;  but  in  spite  of 
it  all  the  march  of  civilization  must  go  on.  New 
grudges  may  be  hatched,  hatreds  intensified,  vain- 
glory increased,  but  all  that  cannot  blight  the  least 
of  the  heavenly  bodies ;  nor  can  "all  the  misbelieving 
and  black  Horde  of  Fears  and  Sorrows  that  infest" 
our  world,  eclipse  the  light-giving  principles  con- 
tained in  our  literary  firmament  which  is  supported 
and  enriched  by  studying  its  lovable  stars. 

As  a  spectroscope  reflects  the  composition  of  a 
star  in  definite  lines ;  so  we  may  consider  Omar  Khay- 

117 


118  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

yam  in  several  aspects.  Firstly,  as  a  man  of  his  day 
and  community ;  then,  as  a  citizen  of  history ;  thirdly, 
in  regard  to  matters  moral  and  intellectual;  and 
lastly,  yet  most  important,  as  a  factor  in  mankind's 
spiritual  world.  The  first  aspect  gives  a  key  with 
which  to  unlock  the  rest;  the  second  helps  us  to 
realize  their  social  value.  As  to  the  intellectual  and 
spiritual  aspects,  some  consider  them  identical ;  how- 
ever, there  is  a  difference,  or  at  least  a  line  of  dis- 
tinction may  be  drawn  between  the  two.  One  may 
possess  a  great  deal  of  information  and  at  the  same 
time  be  a  soulless  creature.  Intellectuality,  it  would 
seem,  consists  of  the  materials  and  process  of  think- 
ing, whereas  the  product  of  that  process,  crystal- 
lized into  the  basis  of  disposition,  constitutes  the 
soul,  or  the  spiritual  part  of  mind. 

Before  proceeding  to  apply  the  spectroscope,  that 
is,  before  presenting  the  star  in  hand  or  author  under 
consideration,  along  the  lines  indicated,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  give  a  little  attention  to  matters  of  trans- 
lation. 

The  Rubaiyat  would  still  rest  on  the  dusty  shelves 
of  Persian  obscurity  but  for  the  magic  touch  of  one, 
Edward  Fitzgerald,  its  first  English  translator.  To 
reproduce  an  artistically-formed  composition  in  an- 
other language  is  splendid  work,  but  Fitzgerald  ac- 
complished more.  He  reproduced  the  spirit  of  the 
old  master.  Literary  translations  often  have  very 
little  value.  I  know  of  a  most  precious  gem  of  com- 
paratively modern  literature  turned  by  translators 
into  a  dull  common-place  trinket.  Why  should  that 
be  so?  Presumably  because  many  translators  trans- 
late a  given  piece  of  work  in  response  to  somebody's 


OMARIA  119 

order,  or  to  fill  the  requirement  of  the  literary  mar- 
kets. Yet,  it  is  evident  that  translatory  work  so 
begotten  cannot  be  of  higher  order  than  original 
production  born  of  the  same  motive. 

In  translations  of  true  worth  ideas  and  feelings 
must  be  actually  reincarnated,  words  and  similes 
must  take  on  their  original  importance  and  intensity. 
The  translator's  heart  must  melt  into  his  lines  just 
as  the  author's  had;  and  the  strong  impulse,  the  de- 
sire to  impart  those  thoughts  and  feelings  to  other 
minds  and  hearts  must  be  felt  as  passionately  as  when 
they  surged  through  the  brain  and  heart  of  the  one 
who  gave  them  first  expression.  In  Edward  Fitz- 
gerald (who  is  to  Omar  what  Columbus  and  Americus 
combined  were  to  America),  all  the  requirements  of 
the  ideal  translator  have  most  fortunately  met. 

Years  before  he  even  knew  of  Omar  Khayyam,  or 
leastwise  long  before  the  Persian  attracted  Fitz- 
gerald's attention,  he  published  a  collection  of  wise 
sayings  that  foreshow  most  of  the  sentiments  met 
with  in  the  Rubaiyat.  For  instance,  a  quotation  in 
the  book,  from  Feltman,  reads : 

"The  top  feather  of  a  plume  began  to  give  himself 
airs  and  toss  his  head  and  look  down  contemptuously 
on  his  fellows,  but  one  of  them  said,  'Peace !  we  are  all 
of  us  but  feathers.'  " 

A  quatrain  puts  it  thus: 

For  I  remember  stopping  by  the  way 

To  watch  a  potter  thumping  his  wet  clay 

And  with  its  all-obliterated  Tongue 

It  murmur'd — "Gently,  Brother,  gently,  pray !" 


120  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

A  quotation  from  Jeremiah  Markland  has  this  bit 
of  wisdom: 

".  .  .  .  The  other  trouble  is  not  so  easily  set  asidcj 
but  it  has  the  comfort  of  necessity  and  must  be  borne 
whether  you  will  or  not,  which  with  the  wise  man  is  the 
same  as  choice." 

The  same  idea  may  be  recognized  in  its  oriental 
setting : 

Some  for  the  Glories  of  this  World;  and  some 
Sigh  for  the  Prophet's  Paradise  to  come ; 
Ah,  take  the  cash  and  let  the  Credit  go.  .  .  . 

Yet  one  more  quotation  which  is  given  as  a  Ger- 
man anecdote: 

"Two  boys  were  playing  at  chess.  A  knight  was 
broken  so  they  put  a  pawn  to  serve  in  his  stead. 

"Ha/'  cried  the  knight  to  the  pawn,  "whence  come 
you,  Sir  Snail-pace?" 

But  the  boy  said  to  him,  "Peace!  he  does  the  same 
service  as  you." 

This  idea  is  cast  in  a  quatrain  which  reads : 

And  fear  not  lest  Existence  closing  your 
Account  and  mine,  will  know  the  like  no  more 
The  Eternal  Saki  from  that  Bowl  has  pour'd 
Millions  of  bubbles,  like  us  and  will  pour. 

The  entire  Fitzgerald  rendition  of  the  Rubaiyat 
can  best  be  characterized  by  a  quotation  contained 
in  the  preface  to  the  Wise  Sayings.  There  Sir 
Philip  Sidney  states  the  case  fully  and  truly.     "The 


OMARIA  121 

poet,"  he  said:  "not  only  does  show  the  way,  but 
giveth  so  sweet  a  prospect  into  the  way  as  will  entice 
any  man  to  enter  into  it.  Nay,  he  doth,  as  if  your 
journey  should  lie  through  a  fair  vineyard,  at  the 
very  first  give  you  a  cluster  of  grapes,  that  full  of 
that  taste  you  may  long  to  pass  further." 

However,  the  beautiful  composition  at  its  birth 
received  a  very  poor  reception,  or  rather  none  at  all. 
Most  editors  consider  new  grapes  sour  grapes.  .  .  . 
This  is  no  misfortune  because,  knowing  that,  writers 
can  on  that  account  persevere  in  their  work  and 
hope.  The  recognition  of  the  world  cannot  bring 
all  to  the  surface,  but  theirs  is  the  satisfaction  that 
goes  with  creative  art  and  the}"  surely  benefit  the 
world  by  not  spending  thought  and  time  in  ways 
even  more  objectionable  than  writing  poetry  that 
nobody  wants  to  print. 

So  Fitzgerald  kept  on  working  at  his  task.  A 
score  of  quatrains  sent  to  the  Calcutta  Magazine^ 
were  not  printed,  not  even  acknowledged;  still  he 
continued  the  good  work  and  when  the  number  of  the 
quatrains  had  increased  to  about  seventy,  he  pub- 
lished them  anonymously  at  his  own  expense.  Ten 
years  elapsed  before  the  work  received  notice  in  a 
most  unexpected  and  romantic  manner.  But  that  is 
another  story.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  little  book 
of  verses  found  no  favor  with  friends  and  no  buyers 
at  the  counter.  So  he  made  a  present  of  the  entire 
edition  (numbering  about  two  hundred)  to  the  book- 
seller, under  whose  imprimature  it  was  printed.  The 
books  were  thrown  into  the  "penny  basket"  and  from 
that  lowly  position  Fitzgerald's  work  winged  its 
way  to  the  center  of  the  world's  intellectual  horizon. 


122  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

However,  that  rendition  of  the  Rubaiyat  is  by  no 
means  exhaustive.  In  my  own  case,  after  the  first 
reading  of  the  book  I  had  only  discovered  that  the 
quatrains  were  worth  pondering  over  and  that  their 
author  well  deserves  to  become  acquainted  with.  So 
I  took  the  volume  of  "World's  Best  Literature," 
containing  my  subject  and  quotations  contained 
therein,  from  E.  H.  Whinfield,  were  the  charming 
postulates  that  filled  me  with  love  and  enthusiasm  for 
the  Rubaiyat  and  the  master  soul  that  conceived 
them.  The  Whinfield  version,  comprising  269  quat- 
rains, permits  us  to  gain  a  wider  view  of  Omar  Khay- 
yam's liberal  way  of  thinking.  Still,  the  Rubaiyat  re- 
mains tantalizing.  Having  entered  the  vineyard  and 
consumed  the  cluster  of  grapes  received  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  gate,  there  remains  the  taste  that  makes 
one  long  to  pass  further.  In  search  of  more  Omaric 
grape  juice  one  can  turn  to  Justin  McCarthy,  who 
translated  466  quatrains  into  beautiful  animated 
English  prose.  There  is  a  large  scattering  of  other 
translations,  but  I  need  to  mention  here  only  two  of 
them. 

One  is  Monsieur  J.  B.  Nicolas,  who,  in  conjunction 
with  Hassan  Ali  Khan,  made  an  excellent  French 
rendition  of  the  Rubaiyat.  This  work  was  published 
in  1867  (the  year  I  was  born,  and  so  I  may  consider 
it  my  birthday  present).  The  work  of  Nicolas  was 
consulted  by  most  of  the  translators,  since  that  time, 
including  McCarthy.  Of  course,  this  circumstance 
does  not  detract  from  the  value  of  the  several  ren- 
ditions whatsoever.  Fitzgerald  gave  Omar  Khay- 
yam's Rubaiyat  a  magnificent  introduction  and  all 


OMARIA  123 

others  join  to  give  it  a  most  hearty  and  popular 
welcome. 

Another  very  effective  translator  is  the  German 
Friedrich  Bodenstedt,  who  took  over,  mixed  in  verse 
and  prose,  467  quatrains.  These  he  put  into  ten 
divisions,  as  follows: 

1.  The  Deity  of  the  Poet.  2.  The  God  of  the 
Koran  (Turkish  bible)  and  his  Prophet.  3.  Ap- 
pearance and  Substance.  4.  The  Limits  of  Knowl- 
edge. 5.  Fate  and  Liberty.  6.  Springtime  and 
Love.  7.  The  Poet  and  his  Opponents.  8.  World  and 
Life.  9.  The  Poet  and  his  Goblet.  10.  Mixed  Quat- 
rains. In  the  original  there  is  no  such  division,  the 
quatrains  being  merely  placed  in  the  A,  B,  C  order 
of  their  endings.  So  any  arrangement  must  be  the 
arbitrary  work  of  the  editor  or  translator.  The 
Fitzgerald  rendition,  aptly  described  as  "A  Mosaic," 
is  the  most  popular  and  most  taking  because  of  its 
artistic  perfection  and  rounded  philosophy.  How- 
ever, for  purposes  of  study  and  general  reading  a 
sensible  English  grouping  of  all  the  quatrains  seems 
desirable.  Such  a  work  along  the  lines  of  Bodenstedt, 
or  on  some  other  plan  that  a  scholar  might  devise, 
would  make  a  valuable  addition  to  Omaric  Literature. 

I  now  come  to  consider  Omar  Khayyam  as  a  man 
of  his  day  and  community.  Authorities  differ  in 
regard  to  the  poet's  everyday  life.  Literary  authori- 
ties are  apt  to  discredit  each  other,  even  as  polit- 
ical authorities  including  czars,  kings,  and  emperors 
do  nowadays.  But  the  clash  of  the  penwielders 
unlike  that  of  the  wielders  of  the  sword,  need  cause 
the  shedding  of  smiles  only.     The  poet  might  have 


124  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

been  a  brilliant  student  and  later  on  a  favorite  pro- 
tege of  his  erstwhile  schoolmate,  who  rose  to  the 
exalted  position  of  Grand  Vizier,  Nizam  Ulk  Mulk; 
or  he  may  have  been  an  humble  artisan,  a  tentmaker 
by  trade,  whose  very  obscurity  served  as  a  shield  while 
moulding  bold  ideas  into  lovely,  exquisite  verse.  I 
inchne  to  the  latter  view,  perhaps,  because  the  sub- 
conscious mind  is  disposed  to  find  in  Omar  a  sort 
of  colleague  as  the  conscious  mind  found  him  a 
mental  affinity. 

True,  he  was  a  great  astronomer  in  his  day,  but 
this  need  not  remove  him  from  the  circle  of  workers. 
I  know  of  some  mechanics,  right  in  this  city,  who 
are  perfectly  qualified  and  may  yet  help  to  improve 
on  the  present  reckoning  of  time  even  as  Omar  helped 
to  improve  the  Almanac  of  his  day. 

The  name  Khayyam  signifies  tentmaker,  and  in  one 
quatrain  there  is  a  playful  reference  to  that  trade: 

Khayyam  who  stitched  the  tents  of  science 
Has  fallen  in  grief's  furnace  and  been  suddenly  burned. 
The  shears  of  fate  have  cut  the  tent  ropes  of  his  life 
And  the  broker  of  hopes  has  sold  him  for  nothing. 

But,  then,  what  difference  does  it  make  anyhow? 
Whether  he  sprung  from  a  high  or  a  low  estate  our 
inheritance  from  the  author  remains  just  the  same. 
Our  concern  is  only  to  remember  that  he  lived  some 
eight  hundred  years  ago,  in  the  far-away  Persian 
city  of  Naishapur,  when  the  wars  of  the  Crusade 
darkened  the  paths  of  the  world.  Europe  was  a 
vast  battlefield  then,  as  at  present,  perhaps  worse  in 
that  the  generation  was  more  ferocious  and  all  the 
sacrifice,  murder,  pillage  and  massacre  was  done  in 
the  name  of  religion !  .    .    .  The  book  of  "Wise  Say- 


OMARIA  125 

ings"  already  quoted  from,  contains  a  bit  of  verse 
quite  appropriate : 

War  begets  Poverty — Poverty  begets  Peace — 
Peace  begets  Riches — Fate  will  not  cease — 
Riches  beget  Pride — Pride  is  War's  ground — 
War  begets  Poverty — And  so  the  world  goes  round. 

Omar  protested  against  the  whole  round  of  that 
system,  yes,  even  against  the  management  thereof. 
Siding  with  humanity,  he  gave  vent  to  pathos,  sar- 
casm, and  argument  that  to  this  day  pierces,  thrills 
and  enlightens  the  compassionate  heart.  It  is  chiefly 
as  a  protestant,  not  in  a  denominational,  but  in  the 
general  sense  of  the  word,  that  he  spent  his  breath. 
Some  of  the  quatrains  sound  harsh  and  feel  rough 
to  a  degree,  but  one  may  feel  certain  they  were 
directed  against  intolerance  and  bigotry. 

"Blame  not  the  drunkards  you  who  wine  eschew; 
Had  I  but  grace  I  would  abstain  like  you. 
And  mark  me,  vaunting  zealot,  you  commit 
A  hundredfold  worse  sins  than  drunkards  do. 

"Why,  be  this  Juice  the  growth  of  God,  who  dare 
Blaspheme  the  twisted  tendril  as  a  Snare  .^ 
A  blessing  we  should  use  it,  should  we  not.^ 
And  if  a  curse — why,  Who  set  it  there.'' 

"These  fools  by  dint  of  ignorance  most  crass 
Think  they  in  wisdom  all  mankind  surpass 

And  glibly  do  they  damn  as  infidel 
Whoever  is  not  like  themselves — an  ass. 

"Why,  All  the  saints  and  sages  who  discussed 
Of  the  two  Worlds  so  wisely — they  are  thrust 

Like  foolish  Prophets  forth;  their  words  to  scorn 
Are  scattered,  and  their  Mouths  are  stopt  with  dust." 


126  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

The  quatrains  just  quoted  are  two  from  Whin- 
field  and  two  from  Fitzgerald;  a  few  more  in  prose 
from  the  French  of  Nicolas  well  translated  into 
English  by  James  W.  Scott  will  show,  perhaps,  even 
more  poignantly  the  sentiments  expressed: 

"From  time  to  time  my  heart  is  ill  at  ease,  w^ithin  its 
narrow  cage.  It  is  a  shame  to  be  a  thing  of  earth  and 
water.  I  have  had  a  mind  to  destroy  this  prison,  but 
then  my  foot  would  have  stumbled  against  the  law  of 
the  Koran. 

"Thou  hast  filled  us  with  an  ungovernable  passion, 
which  is  as  a  law  unto  us,  and  thou  hast  forbidden  us 
to  yield  to  it.  Wherefor  man  staggers  between  the  law 
of  his  nature  and  the  command  of  his  God^ — like  one 
bidden  to  reverse  the  cup  without  spilling  the  contents. 

"Of  a  truth  I  drink  wine,  and  whoever  looks  to  the 
very  heart  of  things,  knows  that  this  is  of  small  moment 
in  the  sight  of  God.  God  forsaw  through  all  time  that 
I  should  drink  wine,  and  did  I  not,  predestination  were 
a  sorry  farce." 

"Thou  hast  encircled  us  with  two  hundred  snares, 
yet  Thou  sayest,  if  ye  but  place  the  foot  therein,  death 
shall  be  your  portion.  Thou  layest  the  snares  thyself 
and  whoever  falls  therein,  him  dost  Thou  curse,  him 
dost  Thou  slay  and  call  rebellious !" 

But  one  more  Fitzgerald  pearl  of  this  kind : 

"Oh  Thou  who  man  of  baser  Earth  didst  make. 
And  ev'n  with  Paradise  devise  the  Snake: 

For  all  the  Sin  wherewith  the  Face  of  Man 
Is   blackened — Man's    forgiveness    give — and   take." 

"And  take."  These  two  words  or  their  meaning 
cannot  be  found  in  the  original,  nor  in  any  trajis- 
lation  but   Fitzgerald's.      Notwithstanding  that   the 


OMARIA  127 

sense  is  truly  Omaric,  for  no  matter  how  much  he 
rebelled  against  people's  conceptions,  he  would  not 
carry  a  grudge  against  men.  Life  is  far  too  short  to 
be  put  to  such  a  use.    Says  he : 

"Ah,  my  beloved,  fill  the  cup  that  clears 
TO-DAY  of  past  Regrets  and  Future  Fears; 
To-morrow ! — Why,  To-morrow  I  may  be 
Myself  with  Yesterdays  Sev'n  thousand  Years. 

"For  some  we  loved,  the  loveliest  and  the  best 
That  from  his  Vintage  rolling  Time  hath  pressed 
Have  drunk  their  cup  a  round  or  two  before. 
And  one  by  one  crept  silently  to  rest. 

"Ah,  make  the  most  of  what  we  yet  may  spend 
Before  we  too  into  the  Dust  descend." 

Well,  Omar  Khayyam  was  most  certainly  rebel- 
lious. He  had,  as  can  be  seen,  good  and  sufficient 
reason  to  be  so,  but  that  does  not  make  it  much 
easier  to  swim  against  the  current  of  opinion  held 
by  the  masses.  People,  as  a  rule,  do  not  like  a  change 
excepting  in  their  wearing  apparel — and  that  only 
if  it  is  started  by  someone  high  in  authority.  Omar 
had  no  special  reverence  for  the  powers  that  were; 
in  fact,  he  never  ceased  to  remind  them  of  their 
origin.  Sometimes  with  a  sob,  at  other  times  with 
a  laugh,  but  he  always  delivered  his  jibs  in  a  fashion 
that  struck  home. 

Save  to  congenial  friends  and  advanced  thinkers, 
Omar  must  have  been  a  disturbing  element  in  his  day. 
Had  Roosevelt  lived  at  that  time,  Omar  could  not 
have  escaped  from  being  classed  as  an  "undesirable 
citizen."      But,    somehow,    the   pioneer   spirit    finds 


128  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

sustenance  in  its  own  approbation.  So  Omar  kept 
on,  throughout  his  long  life,  protesting  and  inveigh- 
ing against  conventions  and  conceptions  that  seemed 
silly  to  him.  Most,  if  not  all  his  quatrains,  were 
composed  in  opposition  to  the  then-prevailing 
thought.  What  a  thankless  job  it  must  have  been! 
But  the  poet  kept  at  it  and,  still,  his  soul,  like  that 
of  John  Brown,  is  marching  on.  In  his  day  and  gen- 
eration Omar  was  considered  a  dangerous  heretic. 
Among  the  majority  of  his  co-nationals  he  is  still 
considered  a  heretic,  if  not  quite  so  dangerous,  but 
rather  a  celebrity  of  whom  they  feel  proud.  Some- 
how or  other  the  accusation  has  lost  its  terrible  as- 
pect. Especially  hereabouts  it  is  losing  its  nails 
and  claws  at  an  astonishing  speed. 

But  recently  a  lecturer  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Dr. 
Frank  Crane,  stated:  "What  this  country  needs  is 
heretics,  and  plenty  of  them."  Dear  old  Omar,  by 
himself,  made  up  for  a  whole  regiment!  Also  it  is 
interesting  to  note  that  Edward  Fitzgerald,  long 
before  he  took  to  translating  the  Rubaiyat,  signed 
himself  (in  a  letter  to  Fanny  Kemble)  as  "your  an- 
cient heretic."  Now  their  work  is  fairly  respectable, 
and  is  ranked  with  the  foremost  classics  of  the 
world's  poetry. 

A  young  friend  of  mine  was  asked  to  define  what 
is  poetry.  He  answered:  "Speech  is  sometimes  de- 
fined as  loud  thinking;  I  will  say  that  poetry  is  loud 
feeling."  This  is  surely  a  good  definition,  for  with- 
out feeling  there  can  be  no  poetical  expression,  and 
unless  couched  in  language  colored  loud  enough, 
it    would    never    attract    much    notice.      But,    like 


OMARIA  129 

most  of  such  short  definitions,  it  fails  to  give  a 
complete  idea  of  what  it  would  disclose.  (Most  babies 
indulge  in  loud  feeling,  and  when  thej  do  so  especially 
at  2  A.M.,  I  dare  say,  the  effect  is  not  exactly  sweet 
and  charming.) 

Poetry,  then,  to  waken  with  delight  must  be  more 
than  loud  feeling.  It  must  partake  of  high  thinking, 
broad  understanding  and  deep  love.  In  this  Persian 
quatrains — love,  disgust,  praise,  blame,  charity,  ex- 
coriation, hope,  disappointment,  faith,  doubt,  enthu- 
siasm, resignation — the  whole  gamut  of  human  feel- 
ings, are  registered  with  supreme  brilliancy.  Yet, 
the  best  part  of  them,  their  crowning  glory,  is  the 
steadfast  liberal,  one  might  say  liberation  principles 
pervading  most  everyone  of  the  quatrains. 

A  man's  standard  ought  to  be  judged  not  only 
by  what  he  does,  but  also  by  what  he  endeavors  to 
accomplish.  Social  life  is  continuous.  Conditions 
of  to-day  are  the  results  of  past  activities,  reaching 
back  to  the  very  beginnings  of  human  consciousness. 
Whether  he  will  or  no,  each  person  must  take  part 
in  shaping  the  course  of  history.  Many  people  do 
not  realize  this  and  are  content  to  be  mere  ciphers ; 
but  even  so  they  give  strength  to  those  who  hold 
principles  and  so  cut  a  figure  by  themselves.  Omar 
Khayyam,  though  he  was  ever  so  humble,  rose  to  be 
a  majestic  figure.  His  Rubaiyat  is  not  only  a  treas- 
ure of  art  but  also  a  storehouse  of  ideas. 

Radical  and  revolutionary  as  these  quatrains 
really  are,  one  must  not  expect  to  find  in  them  solu- 
tions for  each  and  every  problem  of  our  days.  Omar 
lived  eight  hundred  long  years  ago.  He  did  not  read 
the  report  of  the  Congressional  Committee  on  Indus- 


130  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

trial  Relations,  nor  did  he  hear  suffrage  debates  and 
the  like.  Most  of  the  quatrains,  though,  deal  with 
the  eternal  verities.  We  all  can  learn  from  them  and 
enjoj  them  without  denying  ourselves  the  inspira- 
tional sources  of  other  genii  or  disregarding  the 
vital  forces  of  present  actual  life. 

I  found  it  so  by  experience.  Swayed  by  the  truth 
and  beauty  found  in  the  several  English,  German, 
and  French  translations  of  the  Rubaiyat,  I  felt  im- 
pelled to  cast  them  in  yet  another  language.  After 
translating  (or  rather  Fitzgerald  style  transposing) 
more  than  three  hundred  quatrains  (with  the  rhythm 
and  measure  still  in  my  mind),  I  felt  that  not  half 
had  been  said  that  I  would  like  the  world  to  know. 
So  I  proceeded  to  compose  quatrains  of  my  own — this 
time  in  English — and  formed  three  hundred  more 
before  I  could  stop  .    .    .* 

Important  as  it  is  to  remember  in  regard  to  the 
Rubaiyat  the  "when"  of  its  birth,  consideration  of 
geographical  matters  is  still  more  necessary.  The 
Omaric  admonition  to  "drink  wine"  is  repeated  in  so 
many  variations ;  the  fluid  is  praised  in  such  glowing 
colors,  so  braggardly,  many  times  in  such  an  exces- 
sive manner,  that  some  readers  become  disgusted  with 
the  entire  Rubaiyat,  while  others,  clinging  to  the 
beauty  and  truth  of  them,  apply  the  well-known — 
alas,  often  abused — expediency  of  giving  to  words  a 
different  meaning  from  what  they  are  generally  un- 
derstood to  be. 

Just  remember  that  Omar  lived  and  wrought  in 
the  Persian  city  Naishapur,  amongst  fanatical  fol- 
lowers  of  Mahomet   whose   most   conspicuous   tenet 

*  See   Humane  Humanity,  page   145. 


OMARIA  131 

was  a  taboo  on  wine.  A  devout  believer  might  abuse, 
not  one  wife,  but  a  hundred  of  them  and  commit  a 
hundred  other  iniquities  without  bringing  on  himself 
the  wrath  of  Allah.  .  .  .  He  may  drink  strong  black 
coffee  to  excess  without  reprobation,  but  wine,  every 
drop  of  it  is  supposed  to  be  a  channel  to  perdition. 
It  is  something  like  pork  to  the  orthodox  Jew,  who 
will  sit  mourning  in  sackcloth  and  ashes  if,  he  finds 
out  that  his  son  ate  as  much  as  a  slice  of  bacon. 
Some  Jewish  fellows  remonstrated  against  this  con- 
ception by  feasting  in  front  of  a  restaurant  just 
opposite  a  synagogue  on  a  fast  day  and  the  result 
was  a  riot  in  New  York  some  few  years  ago.  So 
it  may  have  been  with  Omar.  The  fact  that  he  lived 
to  an  extreme  old  age  is  perfect  proof  that  he  could 
not  have  been  as  intemperate  as  some  of  the  quat- 
rains make  it  appear.  Omar  hugs  the  tavern  and 
parades  in  the  vineyard  for  purposes  of  demonstra- 
tion, while  continually  raising  his  goblet  as  a  chal- 
lenge to  and  defiance  of  superstition  and  bigotry. 
Omar  Khayyam  not  only  protested  against  wrong 
but  he  also  glorified  the  right;  he  not  only  argued 
against  false  conceptions  or  what  seemed  to  him 
false,  but  he  also  promulgated  a  workable  construct- 
ive philosophy  in  accordance  with  justice  or  what 
seemed  to  him  so.  This  strain  runs  through  the 
whole  Rubaiyat.  It  is  his  vote  in  history,  a  vote  cast 
for  the  Simple  Life  with  Love  and  Liberty.  The 
most  beautiful  gems  in  the  Rubaiyat  were  wrought 
by  emotions  of  this  order.  Yes,  each  life  is  a  vote 
in  history  one  way  or  another,  each  book  is  a  record 
of  the  vote  or  votes  cast,  and  this  is  what  Omar's 
Rubaiyat  stands  for: 


132  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"Let  him  rejoice  who  has  a  loaf  of  bread, 
A  little  nest  wherein  to  lay  his  head 

Is  slave  to  none  and  no  man  slaves  for  him — 
In  truth  his  lot  is  wondrous  well  bestead. 

"Sooner  with  half  a  loaf  contented  be 
And  water  from  a  broken  crock  like  me, 

Than  lord  it  over  one  poor  fellow  man 
Or  to  another  boM^  the  vassal  knee. 

"A  book  of  verses  underneath  the  Bough, 
A  jug  of  Wine,  a  Loaf  of  bread  and  Thou 
Beside  me  singing  in  the  Wilderness — 
Oh,  Wilderness  were  Paradise  enow." 

"We  are  lost  in  love  to-day  .  .  .  Sundered  from  our 
very  being  we  shall  touch  the  eternal  throne  to-day." 

"I  sometimes  think  that  never  blows  so  red 
The  Rose  as  where  some  buried  Caesar  bled; 

That  every  Hyacinth  the  Garden  wears 
Dropt  in  her  Lap  from  some  once  lovely  head." 

One  can  imagine  these  thoughts  and  sentiments, 
after  being  fashioned  into  song  by  the  old  mas- 
ter, propagating  themselves,  growing  stronger  and 
stronger,  traveling  on  and  on  over  fields  and  valleys, 
crossing  rivers  and  mountains;  then,  perhaps  in  the 
heart  of  an  English  dissenter,  shipping  over  the 
broad  expanse  of  the  Atlantic  being  transplanted 
in  new  soil,  prospering  in  new  minds,  and  coming  to 
fruition  in  the  immortal  exclamation :  "Give  me  lib- 
erty or  give  me  death!"  Yes,  each  life  is  a  vote  in 
the  course  of  history.  Omar  Khayyam  voted  as  a 
compassionate  humanitarian.  A  student  of  his 
quatrains  must  feel  glad  and  proud  that  such  senti- 
ments were  cherished,  by  a  person  trodding  a   far 


OMARIA  133 

corner  of  the  earth,  in  the  midst  of  what  is  called 
the  Dark  Ages. 


What  was  the  wellspring  of  this  Persian  author's 
sentiments?  What  was  the  basic  source  of  his  songs? 
What  was  the  kernel  of  his  philosophy?  His  was 
not  a  case  of  embracing  a  doctrine,  but  the  reaching 
out  for  a  first-hand  system  of  thought.  His  con- 
clusions prove  to  be  the  epitomes  of  most  of  the 
modern  cults ;  yes,  and  a  great,  great  deal  more. 

Philosophies  are  much  like  languages;  they  really 
can  be  translated  from  one  into  the  other.  Just  as 
each  language  has  superior  beauties  for  the  friendly 
student,  so  each  philosophy  offers  sublime  altitudes 
for  reverent  souls.  I  dare  to  say,  for  it  can  be 
demonstrated,  that  the  sum  and  substance  of  all  phi- 
losophies mean  simply  this :  Do  your  best,  hope  much 
and  fear  nothing!  In  Omar's  expression  those 
thoughts  shine  forth  in  a  charm  of  his  own: 

"As  then  the  Tulip  for  her  morning  sup 
Of  Heavenly  Vintage  from  the  soil  looks  up 
Do  you  devoutly  do  the  like — " 

"So  when  that  Angel  of  the  darker  Drink 
At  last  shall  find  you  by  the  river  brink 

And,  offering  his  Cup,  invite  your  Soul 
Forth  your  Lips  to  quaff — you  shall  not  shrink." 

For  doctrinal  controversies  Omar  had  little  or  no 
use.  The  revelations  of  Mahomet,  like  many  another 
bible  before  and  after,  had  been  reduced  to  a  few 
meaningless  formalities  and  a  sorry  excuse  for  doc- 


134  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

tors  to  disagree  on  and  make  a  living  by.   .  .  .  He 
cut  loose  from  them  all  in  his  bold  and  brilliant  style : 


"Myself  when  young  did  eagerly  frequent 
Doctor  and  Saint^  and  heard  great  argument 

About  it  and  about:  but  evermore 
Came  out  by  the  same  door  where  in  I  went." 

"And  lately  by  the  Tavern  Door  agape 
Came  shining  through  the  Dusk  an  Angel  Shape 

Bearing  a  Vessel  on  his  shoulder;  and 
He  bid  me  taste  of  it;  and  'twas  the  Grape!" 

"The  Grape  that  can  with  Logic  absolute 
The  Two-and-Seventy  jarring  sects  confute.  .  .  ." 

"Nay,  but  for  terror  of  his  wrathful  face 
I  swear  I  will  not  call  injustice  grace; 
Not  one  good  fellow  of  the  tavern  but 
Would  kick  so  poor  a  coward  from  his  place." 

Once  again,  remember  the  Rubaiyat  was  written 
eight  hundred  years  ago  among  Mohammedans  who 
considered  everybody  but  themselves  a  "gyaur"  or 
a  dog  of  an  infidel.  They  urged  their  soldiers  into 
war  by  the  promise  that  every  man  fallen  in  battle 
is  by  his  death  entitled  to  the  glories  of  heaven,  which 
includes  a  mansion  with  branches  of  well-laden  fruit 
trees  growing  in  through  the  windows  and  with  any 
number  of  perfect  concubines  for  every  Mussulmanic 
gentleman.  They  had  attained  to  power  by  the  most 
brutal  use  of  the  sword,  their  fanaticism  knew  no 
bounds  and  their  theological  notions  blocked  the  way 
of  social  progress.  Omar  hurled  shafts  of  resent- 
ment,   reason   and    ridicule    against    the   blockading 


OMARIA  135 

dogmas  of  all  ruthlessly  ruling  supernatural  concep- 
tions : 

"Oh  threats  of  Hell  and  Hopes  of  Paradise, 
One  thing  at  least  is  certain — This  Life  flies. 
One  thing  is  certain  and  the  rest  is  Lies; 
The  Flower  that  once  has  blown  for  ever  dies. 

"Why  if  the  Soul  can  fling  the  Dust  aside, 
And  naked  on  the  Air  of  Heaven  ride, 

Were't  not  a  Shame — were't  not  a  Shame  for  him 
In  this   clay  carcass   crippled  to   abide? 

"If  but  the  Wine — and  Love — abjuring  Band 
Are  in  the  Prophets  Paradise  to  stand, 
Alack,  I  doubt  the  Prophet's  Paradise 
Were  empty  as  the  hollow  of  one's  Hand. 

People  whose  religion  is  the  concentrated  essence 
of  Love,  Hope,  Charity  and  Good  Works  and  who 
pray  to  a  poetical  personification  of  them  can  hardly 
realize  the  benumbing  force,  and  crushing  weight  of 
the  primitive  anthropomorphic  ideas.  Nor  need  one 
try  to  do  so.  It  is  sufficient  to  remember  that  words 
do  not  always  cover  the  same  meaning.  After  Dante 
lived,  Hell  was  a  juster  place  in  mankind's  contem- 
plation than  before.  The  word  kept  on  softening, 
being  diluted  until  with  some  it  has  all  but  lost  its 
edge.  Pastor  Russel  and  his  Bible  Students  declare 
that  the  word  derived  from  "Sheol"  means  simply 
oblivion,  while  Ralph  Waldo  Thrine,  Christian  Sci- 
entist or  New  Thought  Apostle,  claims  the  word  to 
come  from  the  old  English  Hellen,  meaning  "wall" 
and  shutting  or  walling  off  good  and  pleasant 
thoughts  from  our  minds  is  all  there  is  to  Hell !    Ac- 


136  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

cording  to  undenominational  science  a  life's  influ- 
ence continues  even  if  life  itself  ceases.  Evil  has  to 
be  fought  and  diminished,  the  good  must  be  nurtured 
and  enlarged  by  society;  thus,  the  better  a  life  had 
been  lived  the  longer  and  stronger  it  continues  in  the 
totality  of  things.  .  .  .  Omar  did  not  deprecate 
these  charitable  conceptions  of  the  Hereafter.  He 
fought  the  gross  demoralizing,  bloodthirsty  concep- 
tion of  it.  Keeping  this  in  view  even  the  most  ortho- 
dox can  safely  and  with  pleasure  navigate  the  ocean 
of  ideas  contained  in  the  Rubaiyat ;  yes,  and  without 
misgiving  approach  the  place  where  the  sounding  is 
deepest,  the  waves  roll  highest  and  the  white  foam  of 
breaking  billows  cause  wonderment  and  awe.  This 
is  the  realm  of  the  spiritual,  the  very  center  of  it,  the 
conception  of  the  Ultimate. 

"I  sent  my  soul  through  the  Invisible, 
Some  letter  of  that  after-life  to  spell 

And  by  and  by  my  soul  return'd  to  me 
And  answered  *I  myself  am  Heav'n  and  Hell.'  " 

"Heaven  but  the  vision  of  fulfill'd  desire. 
And  Hell  the  shadow  of  a  Soul  on  fire^ 

Cast  on  the  Darkness  into  which  Ourselves 
So  late  emerged  from,  shall  so  soon  expire." 

"With  Earth's  first  Clay  they  did  the  Last  Man  knead 
And  there  of  the  Last  Harv^est  sowed  the  Seed; 

And  the  first  Morning  of  Creation  wrote 
What  the  Last  Dawn  of  Reckoning  shall  read." 

On  account  of  these  and  similar  quatrains  Omar 
Khayyam  may  be  claimed  by  any  of  the  modern 
schools  of  thought  and  he  is  claimed  by  many.    How- 


OMARIA  1H1 

ever,  these  conclusions  are  but  metaphysical  and  may 
be  found  fault  with  one  way  or  the  other.  The  quin- 
tessence of  spirituality  is  the  moral  disposition  of  the 
mind.  It  is  that  whereby  old  Omar  shines  as  a  star 
of  first  magnitude.  He  never  claimed  title  to  saint- 
ship  nor  could  the  laurels  of  perfection  be  accorded 
to  him  as  a  matter  of  right.  The  fact  of  life's  close 
and  the  pathos  of  it  caused  him  to  bemoan  the  uni- 
versal arrangement  oftener  and  with  more  bitterness 
than  his  otherwise  sound  philosophy  would  justify. 
But,  then,  the  wars  of  the  Crusades  were  devastating 
the  Earth  and  he  was  human,  intensely  so.  And  his 
morality  too  is  of  the  same  order. 

"The  Vine  had  struck  a  fibre:  which  about 
If  clings  my  being — let  the  Dervish  flout; 

Of  my  base  metal  may  be  filed  a  key 
That  shall  unlock  the  Door  he  howls  without." 

"Though  drink  is  wrong  take  care  with  whom  you  drink 
And  who  you  are  that  drink  and  what  you  drink 

And  drink  at  will,  for  these  three  points  observed 
Who  but  the  very  wise  can  ever  drink? 

"And  this  I  know:  whether  the  one  true  light 
Kindle  to  love  or  wreath-consume  me  quite, 

One  flash  of  It  within  the  Tavern  caught 
Better  than  in  the  temple  lost  outright. 

"Though  Khayyam  strings  no  pearls  of  righteous  deeds 
Nor  roots  from  out  his  soul  sin's  noisome  weeds 
Yet  will  he  not  despair  of  heavenly  grace 
Seeing  that  one  for  two*  he  never  misreads." 

Quoting   from    Omar    Khayyam    is   like   plucking 
flowers    for   an   occasion,   the    specimen    or   bouquet 


138  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

may  be  most  beautiful,  yet  it  cannot  bring  to  the 
vision  all  the  glories  of  the  garden.  His  speculations 
tally  with  the  known  facts  of  nature,  his  moods,  even 
his  saddest  moods,  are  experienced  by  all  whose  hearts 
are  rent  by  sorrow,  his  regard  for  justice  is  supreme, 
his  gift  of  expression  unsurpassed,  and  so  we  possess 
in  the  Rubaiyat  precious  nuggets  of  literature  that 
become  more  valuable  with  each  additional  achieve- 
ment in  the  world  of  human  understanding. 

As  yet  the  name  of  Omar  Khayyam  is  not  as  widely 
known  as  for  the  good  of  mankind  it  should  be; 
but  his  work  has  been  added  to  the  staff  of  mental 
food  in  circles  of  an  intellectual  nature.  Just  as 
bread  can  be  had  at  every  grocer's  so  the  Rubaiyat 
can  be  had  in  every  book  or  department  store.  Ever 
since  the  Fitzgerald  rendition  was  discovered  and  its 
beauties  proclaimed  by  a  group  of  London  artists, 
the  quatrains  have  steadily  gained  in  popularity.  By 
this  time  more  than  a  hundred  publishers  have 
brought  out  the  work  in  one  shape  or  other.  One  of 
the  publications  attained  twenty-five  editions  and 
some  like  the  Department  Store  edition  must  have 
been  printed  in  considerable  quantities. 

Of  course,  the  mere  spreading  of  a  literary  work 
does  not  vouch  for  its  worth.  Innumerable  books 
are  turned  out  with  no  other  than  grossly  commer- 
cial intentions.  Some  influential  professors  openly 
condone  such  motive  and  justify  the  sinking  of 
minds  to  almost  any  level  that  will  fetch  a  handsome 
monetary  return.  "People  want  to  be  amused,"  say 
these  Professors,  "give  them  what  they  require  (in 
their  stupidity).     If  you  help  to  make  them  more  so 


OMARIA  139 

and  prolong  that  state  of  mind,  why  should  you 
care?  Omar  Khayyam  is  of  a  different  mould.  The 
Rubaiyat  was  not  written  nor  translated  for  what  is 
called  a  market,  but  when  in  due  course  of  time  the 
work  had  taken  its  rightful  place,  this  was  not  con- 
fined to  a  small  corner  of  the  earth,  or  a  creed  or 
a  nationality  to  serve  for  an  hour  or  a  day ;  but  truly 
like  a  star  it  shone  for  all  and  for  years  without 
number.  And  just  as  the  stars  of  heaven  shine 
brightest  for  those  who  study  them  so  the  Rubaiyat 
is  made  the  most  of  by  students  and  philosophers. 

What  makes  it  so.? 

The  question  is  not  difficult  to  answer  and  it  is  an 
answer  on  which  all  commentators  and  all  biograph- 
eis  in  the  case  agree.  The  one  thing  that  more  than 
all  other  attributes  makes  Omar  the  darling  of  stu- 
dents is  the  fact  that  his  quatrains  really  constitute 
a  CHARTER  OF  FREEDOM  FOR  THINKING. 
.  .  .  The  book,  from  cover  to  cover,  is  a  protest 
against  the  tyranny  of  dogmatic  opinion.  Many 
others  have  done  likewise  only  to  set  up  a  dogma  of 
their  own.  Not  so  with  Omar,  he  can  never  be  made 
the  shibboleth  of  a  cult.  He  has  no  dogma  to  offer 
unless  the  idea,  to  make  the  most  of  life  in  our  keep- 
ing, may  be  called  by  that  name. 

But  even  so  he  does  not  try  to  scare  anyone  into 
being  good;  rather  he  sets  to  work  showing  the  un- 
mitigable  folly  of  being  otherwise.  As  he  demanded 
freedom  for  others  to  break  away  from  established 
rules,  so  he  permitted  himself  to  express  different 
opinions  at  different  periods  of  his  long  life.  It  is 
not    necessary    to    look    for    contradictions    in    the 


140  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Rubaiyat.  They  can  be  found  without  much  seek- 
ing. 

Yet  Omar  never  forsakes  his  cardinal  contention: 
that  of  the  individual's  right  to  do  his  o^vn  thinking ; 
and  through  all  his  changing  moods,  the  poet  phi- 
losopher never  considers  mankind  unworthy  of  his 
love  and  care. 

He  was  persecuted  and  he  suffered  like  almost  every 
innovator,  but  instead  of  complaining  he  just  fought 
the  harder,  sprinkling  the  tabooed  wine  in  the  face 
of  his  enemies  while  singing  the  glories  of  life,  love 
and  liberty.  In  fact,  Omar's  every  quatrain  pulsates 
with  love  for  mankind.  Most  sensible  to  their  limita- 
tions, he  would  nevertheless  ha\e  people  rise  as  high 
as  ever  they  can.  He  had  no  special  praise  for  his 
own  nationality  or  special  blame  for  others.  Like 
a  hewer  of  stone  he  hammered  away  on  time-honored 
incrustations  of  sham  formalities,  to  make  an  open- 
ing wedge  for  tolerance  to  enter  and  for  wisdom  to 
pass  on.  Omar  had  the  proverbial  wisdom  of  the 
owl,  that  can  see  in  the  dark,  coupled  with  the  en- 
chanting voice  of  the  mocking  bird  that  exultingly 
greets  the  rising  sun.  But  whether  he  appears  as  a 
merciless  Iconoclast  thrashing,  slashing,  smashing  the 
impotent  idols  of  credulous  dupes ;  or  tries,  with  his 
brilliant  wit  and  biting  sarcasm  to  expose  the  false 
brow  of  shameless  hypocrisy — arguing,  teaching, 
weeping,  laughing — in  every  sob,  in  every  sound 
there  throbs  the  deepest  love  for  the  world  of  a  sorely 
tried  humanity.  While  crying  out  against  their  fol- 
lies or  wrongs  he  embraced  his  fellowmen  with  a  sym- 
pathy as  broad  as  that  of  any  human  breast. 

Some    there   are    who    proclaim    that    intellectual 


OMARIA  141 

growth  had  its  beginning  yesterday,  with  Lamartine, 
Darwin,  Haeckel  and  the  rest;  others  claim  that  it 
ended  with  some  one  prophet  ages  ago.  Similar 
contentions  must  have  been  rife  in  the  times  of  Omar 
who  flays  both  schools  of  thought.  He  ridiculed 
conceit  no  less  than  petrification.  Valiantly  he 
fought  for  the  rights  of  men  to  disavow  tenets  they 
no  longer  believed  in  and  rained  condemnation  on 
hypocrites  and  hypocrisy  alike.  He  rebelled  un- 
ceasingly against  worshipping  powers  that  mock  at 
the  miseries  of  the  Earth,  and  never  wearied  showing 
the  futility  of  railing  against  the  unchangeable  laws 
of  nature.  He  combated  fear  by  ojffering  in  its  place 
knowledge,  wisdom  and  self-reliance. 

To  eradicate  envy  and  despair  from  the  human 
heart  he  sang  of  the  wonderful  values  of  tune,  color 
and  perfume  and  challenged  the  world  to  show  any- 
thing better  in  heaven  than  is  love  on  Earth! 

Omar  Khayyam  was  born  to  be  a  pioneer,  a 
teacher,  and  a  healer  of  mankind,  and  his  Rubaiyat, 
nearly  a  thousand  quatrains,  continues  to  be  all  of 
that. 

Attempting  to  condense  the  message  of  the  great 
soul,  met  with  throughout  the  Rubaiyat,  into  a 
single  quatrain  I  will  say: 

Short?  forsooth^  but  glorious  is  the  day 

And  yours — somewhat — to  do  with  as  you  may 

The  angry  Fates  ensnared  Eternal  Time, 

Oh,  make  your  minutes  count — kind,  just,  and  gay. 


PART    FOUR 

HUMANE  HUMANITY 

Quatrains  in  the  style  of  Omar  Khayyam 


HUMANE    HUMANITY 


FIELDS    AND    WOODS 
1 

Bright  glows  the  sky  above  the  verdure  green; 
A  thousand  years  ago  it  must  have  been 
As  now;  by  souls  akin  a  thousand  years 
From  now,  the  grass  and  sky  thus  will  be  seen. 

2 

Each  little  flower  around  the  country's  side 
Adds  beauty  to  the  landscape ;  meadows  wide 
Green  from  each  sunbeam;  nor  can  traceless  flow 
A  human  soul  athwart  the  human  tide. 

3 

True  must  we  deem  you,  heavens ;  it  is  fair 
To  know  your  laws;  and  knowing,  not  despair 
In  Winter's  blasts,  but  work,  and  hope,  and  wait 
For  Summer's  pleasant,  sweet  balsamic  air. 

As  rays  shine  from  above,  so  from  below 
Green  foHage  grows,  to  crown  the  landscape's  glow, 
O  Fate,  how  many  look  and  cannot  see ! 
O  Fate,  how  many  see  and  may  not  know! 

145 


146  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

5 

A  farmer,  ruddy  cheeked,  with  eyes  aglow, 
His  tiny  saplings  planted  row  by  row; 
He  saw  the  beauty,  drank  the  fragrance  rare 
And  felt  the  shade  that  future  trees  will  throw. 

6 

Declared  his  fairy  'midst  their  flowers  bright; 
This  home,  so  sweet,  we  gained  by  labor's  right; 
Yet  gladly  yield  I  quarter,  half  or  more, 
If  thereby  all  could  know  a  home's  delight. 

7 
And  gazing  up,  with  heaven's  door  ajar, 
They  saw  a-twinkling  some  familiar  star; 
They  knew  its  substance — knew  that  it  is  law 
To  have  it  glitter  in  the  distance  far. 

8 

With  yonder  stars  we  are  partakers  in 
Volcanoes  vast  that  now  and  then  begin 
To  shed  their  lava  forth — with  sun  and  moon — 
All  Nature's  elements  to  man  are  kin. 

9 

Each  branch,  each  twig,  each  tiny  leaf  we  see 
Draws  on  the  roots  and  makes  a  stronger  tree. 
The  Tree  Humane,  to  decorate  the  world. 
Forever  grows  still  grander  and  more  free. 

10 

The  seasons  come  and  go  in  circles  round. 
Each  has  its  ache,  in  blessings  all  abound; 
Days  will  grow  shorter  and  the  year  decline. 
But  humankind  is  rising  round  by  round. 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  147 

11 
What  if  the  winter  chills?     A  charming  strain 
Of  music  fills  the  air,  its  sweet  refrain 
Reverberates  on  snow-clad  hills  and  dales: 
Earth  is  revolving,  Spring  will  come  again. 

12 
One  fine  October  morn  I  and  she 
Whose  love  sustains  my  pen,  we  went  to  see 
Our  friends,  the  woodland  pastures,  to  partake 
Of  their  delightful,  gay  autumnal  glee. 

13 
We  wandered  to  the  wooded  land  with  sense 
Athirst  for  color  and  the  eloquence 
Of  rustling  leaves  ^  that  spread  before  our  view 
And  came  upon — a  close-knit  wire  fence. 

14 

Unlike  the  story-creatures  made  to  act 
In  quick  succession,  leaving  truth  and  fact 
To  Fate,  the  living  mind  must  also  find 
Some  time  to  cogitate — or  should  reflect. 

15 
Barbed  wire  drawn  across  bog,  hedge,  and  ridge, 
Enclosing  wilderness ;  and  roadway  ditch ; 
That  is  the  fruit  of  biased,  false  conceit, 
Such  is  the  nature  of  all  privilege. 

16 

We  left  a  cup  the  early  part  of  Spring 
Among  the  boughs  near  by  the  water's  ring, 
And  Fall  could  tell  of  scores  of  cooling  draughts 
That  woodmen's  wisely  selfish  habits  bring. 


148  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

17 

We  crossed  the  fence,  with  torn  clothes  but  fit 
For  bold  adventure ;  climbed  a  rock  whose  pit 
Held  a  large  snake ;  we  killed  the  reptile,  sure. 
But  have  no  medal  to  display  for  it. 

18 

Beyond  the  rock  in  numerous  shady  grooves 
Some  insects  held   convention;  wondrous   moves 
Of  intellectuality!     They  knew 
That  kindred  care  for  kindred  well  behooves. 

19 

One  nice  fat  cricket  sang :  oh,  it  is  blest 
Of  every  chance  to  make  the  most  and  best; 
To  nibble  and  to  nip  what  grows  along 
Without  regard  at  all — to  all  the  rest. 

20 

"Hum,  hum,"  replied  the  busy  honey  bee ; 
"Yours  is  a  very  short-lived  jubilee. 
A  hive,  though  wrongly  governed  makes  us  all 
As  happy  as — as  we  know  how  to  be. 

21 

0  poet!     Sing  the  glory  of  the  morn. 
Of  birds  and  woods,  of  nightingales  forlorn, 
The  dewdrop's  glitter,  ripplings  of  the  brook; 
But  let  not  man  out  of  your  songs  be  torn. 

22 

It  may  be  lawful  verse  or  verse  in  prose — 
If  but  the  inner  meaning  will  disclose 
True  aims  of  life,  call  it  by  any  name 
Just  so  the  plant  of  Progress  be  the  rose. 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  149 

23 

Field's  glory,  flowers  are.  What  a  disgrace 
With  turf  the  stand  and  booth  to  interlace ; 
Instead  of  growing  flowers,  fruit  and  vines, 
It  better  pays  to  run  some  silly  race! 

24 

Now  let  your  eyes  upon  the  lakelet  pause 
And  watch  a  bubble  move;  aimless,  because 
A  larger  bubble,  once  upon  a  time, 
Reflecting  glory,  its  ancestor  was. 

25 

Out  on  the  highway  knowing  but  unknown 
We  asked  a  farmer  "Is  this  place  your  own?" 
He  shook  his  head,  a  tear  ran  down  his  cheeks: 
"It  was — it  was  foreclosed  by  telephone." 

26 

One  of  the  farmers,  diligently  halfed 
The  bark  for  bough,  according  to  his  craft ; 
An  auto-car  flew  by  and  thus  it  whizzed : 
"Go  to  the  city,  there  you  learn  how  to  graft." 

27 
Along  the  road  and  swiftly  moving  train 
So  many  want  and  wait  and  pray  for  grain — 
So  many  fields  lack  workers'  hands  and  brain, 
What  evil  spirit  works  against  the  twain? 

28 
Whoever  owns  the  goblet  on  the  plate; 
Yourself,  a  friend,  the  banker  or  the  state ; 
Drink  heartily,  the  savor  laughs  within 
To  heal  and  charm,  and  heart  recuperate. 


150  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

29 

The  story  started  with  the  planet's  mould 
And  will  go  on  into  the  endless  fold ; 
We  think  and  act  to  fill  a  page  or  two 
And  may  as  well  the  joys  of  life  uphold. 

80 

Our  Sun  is  yet  aglow  with  fiery  youth; 
And  even  though  not  all  is  perfect,  smooth ; 
Lift  up  the  goblet  cheerfully.    Behold ! 
Dear  Father  Time  is  cutting  wisdom's  tooth. 


II 

DIALOGUES 

31 

What  ails  the  world?     To  find  out,  I  and  She 
Whose  love  sustains  my  pen,  we  watched  to  see 
And  hear  the  problems  of  the  passerby — 
Observe  them  all  and  note  their  repartee. 

32 

Youth  asked  of  age:  "Would  you  exchange  tenures?" 
To  check  conceit  the  elder  wit  assures : 
"Nay,  not  at  all ;  the  years  of  whitened  hair 
I  lived,  are  mine;  but  are  you  sure  of  yours?" 

33 

"What  shall  I  do?"  a  sage  was  asked,  "This  purse 
I  found  and  now  my  soul  diversely  spurs." 
"Do  right,  you  have  my  blessing  and  your  praise; 
Do  wrong,  you  have  my  pity  and  your  curse." 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  151 

34 
"Look  at  the  stream  of  people  rushing  by, 

Each  has  a  little  special  view  in  eye " 

— "Yet  can  they  all  at  common  ground  arrive." 
"Can  they?" — "  'Can'  is  merely  tracing  'try'." 

35 
"May  I  not  scale  the  top  in  life's  brief  span? 
Or  must  I  drop  the  lowest  of  the  clan?" 
— "Nor  this  nor  that.    Just  live  upon  a  plan 
That  lets  you  meet  as  equals — man  with  man." 

86 

"Placed  on  the  hill  by  settlers  of  the  town 
And  my  best  efforts ;  now,  with  earnest  frown 
You  urge  me  to  descend" — "The  plains  are  broad 
And  better  far  to  go  than  to  fall  down." 

37 

"Do  people  live  on  Mars?    This  quib  about 
Star-gazers  want  a  fight-to-finish  bout." 
— "But  what's  the  hurry,  friends?    Wait  till  you  can 
Fly  to  its  sphere  and  tranquilly  find  out." 

38 

"Here  is  one  man  who  lets  the  days  of  waste 
Brought  on  by  slack  time,  pass  on  without  haste 
To  let  loose  sore  complaints."     — "Why  so?"     "Be- 
cause 
With  undertakers  it  would  be  bad  taste " 

39 

A  lady  displeased  with  her  feather  small. 
Exclaimed  upon  her  neighbor's  plumage  tall; 
Her  fellow  hung  his  head  in  shame  and  said: 
"I  see — the  other  having  none  at  all." 


152  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

40 

"At  last,  the  ancient  cruel  foe  has  come 

To  cease  its  blightening  sway.    Elysium 

May  ours  be."     — "How  so.?"     "Ah,  to   raise  the 

dead, 
On  came  the  dollar  lady  medium." 

41 
"A  leaky  ceiling — we  in  ruin  sat. 
My  comfort  gone,  in  tears  my  Margaret." 
— "Sad,  very  sad.  Why  not  demand  redress.? 
You  know  the  keeper  of  the  upper  flat." 

42 
"Come,  have  a  glass,  why  not  be  cheerful,  friend.? 
I  caused  your  wages  rise  by  ten  per  cent." 
— "So  was  my  daily  task,  by  union  dues 
And,  too,  the  landlord  raised  my  monthly  rent." 

43 

The  merchant  railed  at  master  of  the  loan : 
"You  live  on  blood — on  blood  but  not  your  own!" 
— "Why,  man  of  profit,  say,  where  is  the  line 
Of  difference  betwixt  fortunes,  full-grown.?" 

44 
A  "loanshark"  and  a  cobbler  had  an  inch 
Of  argument ;  the  latter  didn't  flinch : — 
"My  work  is  for  my  good  and  others'  weal. 
But  yours  gives  you  no  pleasure  and  does  pinch !" 

45 
Crime  dressed  in  silks — by  honest  Labor  fed — 
Stood  at  the  bar  with  proud  uplifted  head ; 
A  friendly  judge  declared :  "I  see  no  wrong." 
"Nor  right"  cried  Reason  and  to  safety  fled. 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  153 

46 

"Wherefor  be  wise  amongst  a  lot  of  fools? 
Why  be  a  sheep  amongst  devouring  wolves?" 
— "So,  one  should  not  become  their  prototype, 
So,  one  should  not  promote  their  cruel  schools." 

47 
"Of  foes  and  enemies  you  never  lack — " 
— "Dear  man,  you  can  meet  smiling  their  attack ; 
Reserve  your  strength  and,  too,  your  bitterest  tears 
For  friends  that  are — to  stab  you  in  your  back." 

48 
"If  vile  deceit  can  be  so  strong  and  bold 
That  fangs  of  it  will  pierce  through  friendship's  fold. 
What  is  the  use  of  living?"    — "Oh,  you  child! 
Who  is  at  fault  if  you  take  dross  for  gold?" 

49 
"My  duty  done  twice  o'er,  'tis  rather  tough 
To  stand  from  you  reproach,  rude  blame's  rebuff." 
"Oh,  pshaw!"  replied  the  twin  of  self-esteem, 
"I  did  but  little — you  not  half  enough." 

50 
**Wherefor  is  Sorrow  cutting  life  in  half?" 
Thus  Sorrow  answered  in  its  own  behalf: 
"Let  this,  O  men,  your  consolation  be. 
Who  never  suffered  cannot  wisely  laugh." 

51 

"But  why  must  woe  to  all  so  oft  appear? 
Of  aching  souls  the  sigh,  of  hearts  the  tear. 
Why  cuts  it  so?     What  purpose  has  it  all?" 
— "To  drive  us  on  unto  a  higher  sphere." 


154  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

52 

"Oh,  sea  of  woe!     A  curse  upon  the  land 
That  stars^es  the  poor !" — "Naj^,  rather  let  your  hand 
Increase  the  scanty  rations   while  your  words 
And  all  your  deeds  for  higher  justice  stand." 

53 

"Oh,  yes,  they  talk  and  shout  and  gesture  on 
Till  for  themselves  some  fine  positions  won 
And  then  forget  about  their  former  plaints — " 
— "And  do  you  like  the  'sight'  of  such  a  one?" 

54 
"Which  is  your  church?   The  one  with  steeple  tall. 
Or  in  some  back  saloon?"    — "Mine  has  no  wall — 
There  hope  is  faith ;  to  wrong  is  Sin ;  and  deeds 
Pay  dues — I'm  member  in  the  Church  of  All." 

55 

"Suppose,  the  Earth  to-night  came  to  an  end, 
How  would  you  use  the  day?    Would  you  not  bend 
Your  energies  to  bettering  accounts?" 
"If  I  could  do  so  't  were  too  late  to  mend.   .   .  ." 

56 
"And  how  about  life's  riddle?"     — "  'Tis  not  small. 
We  should  not  if  we  could  reveal  it  all ; 
The  quest  of  truth  and  wisdom  is  the  way 
Of  worthy  souls  themselves  to  disenthral." 

57 

"Please,  tell  us  now — we  do  not  mean  offence, 
Who  did  you  get  your  wisdom  from  and  whence?" 
— "By  dint  of  toilsome  study,  some  by  chance. 
But  most  of  it  through  dear  experience." 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  155 

58 
"Why  walk  down  grade,  my  brother  dear,  I  pray. 
On  drink  and  smoke  and  gambling  go  astray?" 
— "Because  the  snare  caught  me,  and  you  have  failed 
To  show  the  secrets  of  your  better  way." 

59 

"Precious  friend!     Just  listen  to  plain  talk; 
You  go  ahead  upon  the  line  of  chalk 
I  drew,  that  surely  takes  you  far  and  high." 
Alas !     The  man  was  crusht,  he  could  not  walk. 

60 

"Oh,  yes.  Millennium — when  will  it  appear.?" 
— "When  gain  to  one  will  be  the  other's  cheer, 
When  all  the  preaching  of  each  man  sincere. 
Then  every  thirst  shall  have  its  wine — or  beer." 


in 


CITY    CORNER 
61 

A  bracing  thought  or  two,  an  hour's  rest. 
Then  on  we  go  in  unrelenting  quest 
Of  bitter  sweet,  bright,  sparkling  City  wine 
From  knowledge  and  through  understanding  prest. 

62 

Oh,  city  full  of  whim  and  wealth  and  wine 

And   wonderment,   how   dazzling — brilliant,    shine 

In  white-electric,  window,  street  and  sign ! 

How  else,  though,  actors  fare,  the  stage  looks  fine. 


156  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

63 

To  Eiffel  Tower  from  the  cabins  plain, 
From  crawling  wheels  to  flying  aeroplane, 
From  hieroglyphs  to  moving-picture  show, 
From  stone  ax  to  the  corporated  brain ! 

64 
As  yet  this  wonder-studded  brilliant  reign 
Has  not  abolished  that  old  curse  of  Cain — 
For  one  man's  wealth  may  be  another's  loss 
And  one  man's  woe  may  be  another's  gain. 

65 

But  wizards  are  at  work  to  bring  along 
The  fearless  hope,  the  tearless,  sobless  song; 
The  wrongless  right,  the  hateless,  acheless  heart. 
The  greedless  soul  en  fin  the  stingless  tongue. 

66 
We  stood  at  crossing.  Copper  Street  and  Gold, 
The  moving  panorama  to  behold; 
And  as  we  glanced  at  every  passerby. 
The  visions  each  a  different  story  told. 

67 

There  passed  a  little  woman,  poor  but  smart. 
With  children  four,  she  bravely  bore  her  part. 
One  passed  whose  jewels  showed  the  vacant  mind — 
And  one  whose  face  betrayed  a  bleeding  heart. 

68 

One  woman  slipped,  some  few  rushed  to  her  aid, 
But  one  mean  fellow — an  inveterate 
"Man  about  town"^ — could  not  suppress  a  laugh ; 
Perhaps  he  was  the  devil  incarnate. 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  157 

69 

A  man  passed  by,  grave  visaged,  old  and  bent, 
Though  barely  half  a  lifetime  he  had  spent. 
Upon  his  head  the  wrongs  of  all  the  world — 
Because  to  be  a  slave  he  was  content. 

70 
An  artist  and  an  actor  went  to  mart 
For  jewels — which  brought  rancor  to  their  heart. 
However,  do  not  blame  the  muses  fair. 
Give  art  to  life  and  life  will  give  to  art. 

71 

There  were  precocious  boys ;  ambition's  light 
Upon  them  early  shone.     We  asked  a  wight : 
"What  is  your  goal?     What  would  you  like  to  be.?" 
He  said:     "I  want  to  be  a  parasite." 

72 
A  venerable  beggar  passing,  meant. 
Perhaps,  to  advertise  the  city's  cant — 
Queer,  is  it  not,  a  city  full  of  pomp 
Should  exhibit  a  ragged  mendicant.? 

73 

A  hush  came  on ;  upon  a  golden  tier 
The  tallest  Sultan  with  his  grand  vizier 
Arrived  in  state  and  jeweled  silks  galore; 
But,  one  thing  greater  was  than  they — their  fear. 

74 
A  heavy,  strong-built  fellow — drunken  sot — 
Struck  down  a  slender  youth.     Right  off,  a  knot 
Of  people  gathered,  on  impulse  they  held 
The  brute  and  almost  lynched  him  on  the  spot. 


158  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

75 

One  in  the  crowd,  with  cunning  as  his  strength, 
Some  scores  into  the  yoke  of  failure  sent. 
None  struck  the  brute  of  mind,  nay,  him  they  placed 
Upon  a  pedestal — Such  a  monument! 

76 
We  saw  a  race  in  which  the  lame  and  blind, 
The  young  and  strong,  the  vicious  and  the  kind 
All  entered  for  the  stake.     Oh,  such  a  race 
Was  never  run  excepting  by  mankind! 

77 
"On!    on!"    urged    some    (they    claimed    in    Truth's 

behalf)  ; 
"Pull  on,  push  on,  that  billion  and  a  half 
Prize  may  be  gained  by  each  and  every  one." 
Had  they  urged  horses,  there'd  have  been  a  laugh. 

78 
Are  you  of  curios  fond?     Please,  come  this  way, 
Observe  the  man  with  fifty  thousand  pay — 
Suavely  preaching  morals  unto  men 
Who  needs  must  live  on  fifty  cents  a  day. 

79 

A  group  engaged  on  setting  matters  square. 
For  one  great  sudden  uprising  declare: 
"To-morrow  sure !"     And  so  for  thirty  years, 
The  selfsame  fellows  have  been  preaching  there. 

80 
Of  all  our  ills,  this  is  the  saddest  tome. 
That  some  will  claim  the  only  road  to  Rome, 
Year  after  year,  and  all  the  while  around 
A  shadow  pivot  vainly  circling  roam. 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  159 

81 

And  there  are  authors,  authors  who  have  found 
A  host  of  friends  by  knowing  how  to  sound 
A  sentence  sweetly  to  the  multitude — 
Their  talent  selling  on  the  market  ground ; 

82 

"What  would  you  have — a  songlet?     Sad  or  gay? 
A  martyr's  dirge?     A  call  to  daily  fray? 
A  Christian  hymn?     A  Brahmanistic  ode? 
We'll  praise  or  panegyrize  Hell ! — for  pay." 

83 

And  some  of  these  are  literary  men 
With  "swollen"  heads  who  really  think  they  can 
Regard  themselves  above  the  common  plane 
Because  their  livelihood  is  in  their  pen.  .   .  . 

84 
For  us  to  know  the  music  of  the  spheres 
Some  must  be  lending  it  their  list'ning  ears. 
But,  why  forget  that  life's  sustenance  calls 
Out  on  the  field  for  labor,  sweat  and  tears? 

85 
And  in  between  the  passing  show  we  saw 
A  lot  of  men  their  clinking  sabers  draw. 
Theirs  is  the  force  for  either  good  or  bad, 
Whatever  makes  them  mill  that  is  the  law. 

86 

A  multitude  looked  on  with  pride  and  joy. 
The  gathering  cheered  each  marching  soldier  boy. 
Why  don't  bands  play  when  men  march  forth  upon 
Creative  mission  as  when  to  destroy? 


160  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

87 
What  is  the  motive  power,  or  what  kinds 
Of  imps  urge  men  into  opposing  grinds? 
This  much  is  certain,  that  the  rights  of  all 
Men  must  be  fought  put  in  the  war  of  minds. 

88 
Within  some  buildings  of  majestic  state 
The  fangs  of  wilderness  ingratiate 
Red  cravings  of  blind  thirst.     Good  cities  will 
Be  built  by  men  who  are  considerate. 

89 
Cheer  up,  discouraged  one,  you  and  your  wife 
Go  fill  the  goblet ;  aye,  for  all  the  strife 
That  tears  the  world  to  shreds,  drink  to  this  truth; 
Most  precious  and  most  grand  is  human  life. 

90 

For  in  a  small  room,  off  a  dingy  hall, 
Joy  reigns  supreme,  it  lights  the  very  wall. 
And  power,  jewels,  fame  seem  merest  dross. 
What  happened?    Just  a  baby's  birth — that's  all. 


IV 

WITHIN   THE   HUB 

91 

With  patience  trained,  vvith  gusto  exquisite 

We  searched  to  know  the  "Wherefore?"     "What-is- 

it.?" 
Of  things  confusing  and  our  quest  led  on 
Into  a  Hall  with  walls  most  queerly  slit — 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  161 

92 

Oh,  what  a  Hall !     Seclusion,  quiet  peace ; 
Here  come  the  great  to  set  their  minds  at  ease, 
Here  come  the  small  their  secret  wealth  to  hide 
And  all  are  guarded  by  the  whole  police. 

93 

Vaults  to  the  left,  to  right,  above,  below; 
In  peace  and  symmetry.     This  order,  though, 
Is  but  appearance,  for  the  vaults  engage 
In  keenest  cunning,  war-like  grip  and  blow. 

94 
Here  is  the  ring  within  the  stocky  hub 
That  turns  the  wheel  with  deafening  hubbub 
A-causing  clash  and  friction  in  the  world — 
From  here  most  surely  emanates  the  "rub." 

95 

Indeed,  here  is  the  Rub;  mysterious  ways 

Begin  and  end  upon  the  sundry  trays 

Within  those  vaults.    Their  fierce  tumultuous  scenes 

Can  well  be  viewed — by  use  of  Roentgen  Rays. 

96 
How  could  we  enter?    Lucky  we  have  been 
To  light  the  famous  lamp  of  Aladdin 
And  now  we  bid  the  vaulted  spirits  speak 
Their  minds,  while  we — and  you — may  "listen  in." 

97 

Up  spake  a  dwarfy,  short-time,  conscience-smote. 

White- faced  and  iron-toothed  little  note: 

"Why  will  a  broken  jug  the  cup  that  takes 

A  dip  from  it  as  crookedness  denote?"  , 


162  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

98 

A  prosperous-looking  little  vault  chimed:  "Shucks ! 
Go  drop  your  net  for  quickly  yielding  stocks ; 
Then  can  you  feast  on  fancy  fowl  without 
The  farmer  knowing  whereto  went  his  ducks." 

99 

"The  river  'Tribute'  flows  upon  demand 
Of  those  possessing  or  controlling  land; 
And  sell  it,  slice  it,  deed  it,  still  'tis  yours 
If  on  it  you  but  keep  the  upper  hand." 

100 

"I  made  distinction  once  'twixt  prize  and  pelf 
But  poorness  palled  on  me.    Oh,  for  an  elf 
To  shift  the  golden  pointer  this  way !     When 
My  Funds  are  low,  I  just  despise  myself!" 

101 
"I  say:  'each  for  himself,  you  keep  your  sores, 
I  know  how  to  manipulate  the  scores 
Of  business,  so  I  put  a  sturdy  chain 
Around  the  country — 'tis  a  chain  of  stores." 

102 

One  cried,  "Hurrah,  for  competition's  prize. 
What  if  it  makes  some  advertise  their  lies? 
What  if  some  weaklings  fall  along  the  way? 
I  have  the  strength,  why  not  the  right  to  rise?" 

103 

"For  some  of  us  it  may  be  best  to  fix 
Attention  on  the  old  communal  tricks; 
Perchance,  for  gold  we  need  not  go  and  dig 
Down  in  the  mine,  but  up  in  politics." 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  163 

104 

Soliloquized  a  vault  with  conscience  numb: 

"I'm  tired  meals  to  gather  crumb  by  crumb : 

Some  strike  it  blind,  what  if  I  hit  a-foul? 

There's  none  to  ask:  'whom  did  you  take  it  from?'  " 

105 

And  yet  another  vault  spake :  "In  this  here 
Most  densely  dark  and  stuffy  atmosphere 
Why  make  distinction?"     Then  and  there  began 
A  murder-plot  sensation  of  the  year. 

106 

In  one  division  reddish  glimmer  palled. 
Compared  to  it  the  murder-hatching  vault 
Was  like  an  angel  of  sweet  charity, 
Or,  like  a  saint  without  a  single  fault. 

107 
The  octopus  way:  "Hold  head,  loosen  ends 
To  place  their  cups  on  all  without  amends." 
A  small  faint  voice  ventured  to  inquire : 
"But  what  about  the  other  fellow,  friends?" 

108 
"Who  uttered  that?    Who  is  it  here  that  whines? 
Men  enter,  daily,  danger-laden  mines 
For  pittance  small,  and  shall  we  stop  because 
The  big  account  in  lesser  glory  shines?" 

109 

"Hands  off  the  trusts,  pound-foolish,  penny-wise! 
All  scattered  efforts  tend  to  organize. 
And  here  a  fellow  to  the  manor  born 
May  start  on  top  and  never  cease  to  rise." 


164  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

110 

The  faint  voice  said:  "Suppose  we  throw  the  door 
Wide  open,  call  this  place  a  common  store; 
Invite  the  light  and  set  the  spread  for  all." 
The  answer  was  a  screaming  laughter's  roar. 

Ill 

"No,  no !"  one  cried,  "my  want  for  more  endures ; 
I  do  not  care  to  spend  in  bogs  and  moors 
My  life.     'Tis  either  or !     I  risk  my  wealth" — 
A  neighbor  whispered:     "Oh,  but  is  it  yours .^" 

112 
A  sonorous  talker  with  majestic,  bold 
Mien,  declared  the  golden  rule  of  old: 
"It  is  as  true  now  as  it  ever  was — 
Yours  is  what  you  can  take  and  you  can  hold." 

113 

"The  cards  are  dealt,  true,  it  is  our  game ; 
But  who  of  us  would  care  to  take  the  blame 
For  all  the  wrongs  a  new  deal  might  provoke .? 
So  let  us  each  play  on  with  steady  aim." 

114 

"For  why  permit  a  brain-cell's  sickly  chill 
Refuse,  when  offered,  wine  your  jugs  to  fill.'' 
Why  should  the  ailment  of  a  neighbor's  house 
Invade  your  home  and  make  your  household  ill.''" 

115 

"If  skies  were  naught  but  smiling,  and  the  air 
But  ozone  held,  and  each  one  acted  fair; 
If  wish  and  will  flew  with  the  selfsame  wings, 
What  would  be  left  for  virtue  to  declare.?" 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  165 

116 

"It  is  a  sacrilegious  act  to  reach 
Out  for  such  vicious  principle  as  'Each 
For  all  and  all  for  each.'     If  that  were  lived 
What  would  be  left  for  ministers  to  preach?" 

117 

"Spend  not  your  days  a-dreaming,  Lo,  the  creed 
Of  hope  for  justice  pleads  in  vain;  indeed, 
It  keeps  your  wine- jugs  dry.  .  .   .  Safe  is  and  sane 
A  red-blood  drawing,  gilt-edged  mortgage  deed !" 

118 
"Rent  has  its  rigors,  ventures  have  their  wing. 
To  live  beyond  the  zone  of  failure's  sting 
In  ease  and  comfort  flattered  like  a  king ; 
A  good,  strong,  well-secured  bond  is  the  thing." 

119 
"Bonds  !    Bonds !    Ha,  ha !    Bonds,  give  us  Bonds !" 
Each  section  of  the  vaulted  hall  responds, 
The  pledge  for  others'  earnings  is  the  bulk 
Of  tainted  fortunes  and  of  saintly  funds — . 

120 

But  suddenly,  by  cramping  silence,  sized 
They  all  kept  still,  with  heart's-fear  paralyzed ; 
A  shadow  of  a  banner  flitted  by — 
A  banner  which  they  all  had  left  unpriced. 


166  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

V 

AT    A    BANQUET 

121 

Why  be  a  miser,  human  soul  divine? 
The  trees  are  full  of  flowers  fragrant,  fine ; 
Why  be  content  with  crumbs — to  give  or  take? 
Yon  goblet  brimful  is — pass  on  the  wine. 

122 

And  wine  there  was  in  great  abundance,  where 
We  found  ourselves  one  eve,  an  humble  pair 
Amongst  the  mighty.     'Twas  a  conference 
And  dinner  of  the  great ;  a  grand  affair. 

123 

Of  course,  we  took  a  back  seat  from  the  start 
And  watched  the  playing  of  each  separate  part. 
Together  they  appeared  a  picturesque 
Fine  exhibition  of  the  tailor's  art. 

124 

They  all  were  groomed  in  taste,  and  finely  shod, 
Yet  some  of  them  seemed  ludicrously  odd — 
Some  quickly  took  on  haughty  airs,  because 
One  richer  deemed  them  worthy  of  a  nod. 

125 

And  one  would  most  solicitously  ask 
About  the  other's  health  while  his  real  task 
Was  to  ensnare  unguarded  confidence. 
But,  then  the  false  smile  met  a  smiling  mask. 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  167 

126 
Their  ladies  too  were  present,  neck  and  head 
And  wrist  be  jeweled,  elegantly  clad, 
(Bare  neck  and  arms,  short  skirts,  and  waist  cut  low) 
To  show  the  world  most  everything  they  had. 

127 
Some  of  their  sweetest  looking  rosebuds  saw 
No  wrong  in  sexual  investment.     Pshaw! 
Investment  always  seeks  the  highest  rate 
And  this  was  not  against  the  White  Slave  law — 

128 

It  was  a  lively  scene ;  quite  fairly  paid 
Musicians  tuneful  compositions  played, 
While  elder  diners  watched  the  popping  corks 
And  juniors  all  in  rhythmic  motion  swayed. 

129 
Shall  we  report  the  menu?    It  might  call 
For  appetite  without  a  portion's  haul. 
Strange  that  the  rarest  morsels  were  not  fought 
About — There  was  sufficiency  for  all. 

130 

As  yet  there  was  not  time  for  "Tangoing" 

But  soloists  were  called  upon  to  sing. 

Then  some  good  church  quartet ;  and  then  came  on 

The  speakers  turn  to  make  the  welkin  ring. 

131 
An  orator  brought  forth  cheer  after  cheer. 
What  did  he  say?     It  mattered  not.     Oh,  dear! 
He  had  learned  well  the  public  speaker's  rule 
Always  to  say  what  people  love  to  hear. 


168  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

132 

Some  of  the  diners  after  they  had  dined, 
About  the  faults  of  Human  Nature  whined 
Without  perceiving  that  the  scarlet  veil 
Was  but  their  own  ill  temper  well  defined. 

133 

A  voice  sonorous,  with  studied  grace 
Declaimed  against  the  many-tongued,  bad  race 
(Not  of  his  kind)  that  stirs  up  discontent — 
Would  he  need  stirring  in  the  others'  place? 

134 
Speech  after  speech  went  in  the  guiltless  air; 
The  kind  that  people  painfully  prepare 
So  as  to  leave  no  trace,  but  just  as  it 
Was  spoken  in  a  place,  expire  there. 

135 

And  then  a  young  man  rose,  his  voice  clear, 
(Somewhat  familiar,  to  us  in  the  rear. 
And  stronger  grown)  rang  out  these  sentiments 
"I  lift  my  glass  to  those  who  are  not  here! 

136 

"Who  are  not  with  us — pardon  if  it  smarts — 
Because  we  are  not  with  them  in  our  hearts. 
Nor  in  our  pockets,  nor  yet  in  our  hopes. 
Nor  view  them,  but  disdaining  all  their  parts. 

137 
"You  love  your  neighbors?    If  it  be  so  good 
That  men  be  tied  with  bondings  hand  and  foot, 
Seek  in  your  heart  the  burning  hot  desire 
That  bonds  and  chains  on  you  and  yours  be  put. 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  169 

138 
"If  struggle  for  existence  only  meant 
A  struggle  without  sense,  why  are  you  bent 
To  make  your  lot  secure?    You  want  too  much! 
How  can  they  be  in  poverty  content? 

139 

"There  is  the  *must\  you  say,  imperial  must 
That  up  the  peaks  or  down  the  deep  will  thrust ! 
Why,  take  a  standard  all  could  live  upon 
So  can  you  live  not  only  well  but  just. 

140 

"Sweet  Human  Nature !    All  this  great  world's  best 
Was  made  by  hands  through  human  nature  blest, 
And  here  some  sneer  at  it  and  blame  it  for 
Unhallowed  surgings  in  a  spoiled  breast. 

141 
"But  if  through  libels,  through  the  slanders  all, 
Men's  human  nature  is  assigned  to  fall, 
I  plead  not  for  it,  yet  there  is  a  help 
A  humane  nature  to  redeem  us  all. 

142 
"One  minute,  brothers !    Let  us  just  suppose 
That  imps  and  fairies  human  genius  knows 
Were  led  and  leading  for  the  common  weal 
Could  not  this  world  bloom  like  a  perfect  rose? 

143 

"Suppose  the  fruits  of  Earth  were  justly  sieved 
To  one  and  all,  and  all  the  wrongs  that  grieved 
The  world  were  swept  into  oblivion 
Suppose  the  bread  equality  achieved. 


170  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

144 

"That  weakens  not,  but  hundredfold  empowers 
To  draw  out  talent's  bliss,  the  glowing  showers 
Of  fine  accomplishments.     And  what  can  give 
More  joy  in  all  this  universe  of  ours? 

145 

"The  weighing  scale  a  balance  hold  to  gain 
Tilts  up  and  down,  and  up  and  down  again; 
Must  you  fall  down  before  your  heart  sets  out 
The  hold  of  even  justice  to  attain? 

146 

"Breed  hate  if  hate  will  help  somewhat  to  turn 
The  Social  Wheel,  but  see  in  history's  urn 
The  ashes  gathered  from  the  sombre  hills 
Where  force  of  hate  a  beacon  light  did  burn. 

147 

"Do  you  believe  a  proletarian's  ache 
Less  torturous  than  yours?     Oh,  what  mistake! 
Does  he  not  have  his  days,  his  peace  of  mind, 
His  faith,  his  hopes,  a  heart  and  soul  at  stake? 

148 

"Our  actions  all,  like  unto  seeds,  prevail. 
Would  you  not  rather  leave  along  your  trail 
A  street  of  flowering  trees,  an  arch  of  vine 
Than  that  some  pilgrim  should  your  life  bewail  ? 

149 

"So  keep  you  on  your  course  as  you  incline, 
But  watch  the  road,  its  forks  should  not  entwine 
Your  vision,  and  at  parting  of  the  ways 
Drink  to  the  right  side  of  the  battle-line." 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  171 

150 

All  pleading  went  for  naught,  like  vainly  spilled 
Red  wine;  rust-eaten  bosoms  were  not  filled 
With  love  for  Broad  Democracy,  but  then. 
The  man  who  pleaded  with  them — was  not  killed! 


VI 

LADY   SHIP 

151 

Encouraged  by  the  precious  tolerance 

We  saw,  permit  a  modestly  free  lance 

To  speak  its  mind,  we  essayed  to  explore 

Some  further  fields  or  waters — Oh,  what  chance ! 

152 
There  stood  a  boat,  as  bright  as  ever  lists 
The  mood ;  a  double  decker.     Morning's  mists 
Had  cleared  away,  and  off  we  sailed 
In  company  with — some  lovely  feminists. 

153 

Out  on  the  sea!     We  gladly  mingled  here 
And  freely  drank  the  cheerful  atmosphere; 
Our  eyes  we  rested  on  the  playing  waves, 
But  kept  for  moving  lips  attentive  ear. 

154 

"Yes,  we  are  destined  to  rule  all  the  lands !" 
— "But  what  about  'Immediate  Demands'.?" 
"A  single  standard  of  morality — " 
— "That  breaks  their  hearts  though  it  may  fill  their 
hands." 


172  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

155 

"Save  your  compassion  for  the  living  dead 
Whom  uncurbed  passion  of  the  men  have  led 
To  nether  worlds  and  dares  to  keep  them  there — 
"Twould  break  his  heart!'     Well,  would  you  split 
his  head?" 

156 
"I  did  not  wed  a  fool,  he  is  no  bore — 
We  did  diversely  vote,  election  score 
My  wisdom  proved;  but  still  that  very  night 
He  kissed  me  just  as  hotly  as  before." 

157 

"We  traveled  three  times  all  the  country  through 
And  paid  for  landscape  and  for  mountain  view, — 
Yet  bear  we  witness  that  the  best  hotel 
To  live  in  is  a  clubhouse  built  for  two." 

158 
"We  were  to  start  at  eight  the  other  night, 
He  came  at  nine  o'clock  embarrassed  quite, 
Just  then  I  donned  my  hat  and  made  it  clear 
That  after  all  two  wrongs  can  make  one  right." 

159 
"I  praise  my  friends,  add  to  the  cook's  renown 
Appreciate  each  courteous  treatment  shown; 
I  call  in  plumbers,  tailors  and  the  like — 
But  as  to  priests,  I  want  to  be  my  own." 

160 

"The  time  has  come  for  men  to  set  things  square. 
We  have  been  all  too  kind  and  all  too  fair. 
Let  us  expose  their  weakness  and  their  sins" 
— "Which  is  the  only  thing  that  they  can  bear." 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  173 

161 
And  would  you  think !    'Midst  all  this  slur  on  drones 
By  women  folks  exploring  all  the  zones 
Of  present,  past  and  future,  one  soul  dared 
To  cast  a  challenge :  "Oh,  lady  Solons ! 

162 

"Why  such  a  furious  onslaught  of  the  new 
Against  the  old ! — But  such  is  fate's  review.   .  .  . 
Still,  it  would  take  you  many  thousand  years 
To  do  to  man  what  men  have  done  to  you. 

163 
"So,  say  not  in  your  sanctimonious  whim 
You  would  do  this  or  that;  it  staggers  him. 
He  drinks — If  you  were  he  he  would  be  you. 
And  fill  the  goblet  to  the  very  brim. 

164 

"Why  must  you  evolute  like  men,  so  prone 
To  transfer  blame,  to  cast  the  guilty-stone? 
How  is  to  come  the  Rule  of  Justice,  say. 
And  who  shall  be  that  holy  kingdom's  queen.? 

165 

"No  woman  lives  but  is  of  man  a  part. 
No  male  has  grown  but  with  a  female's  heart. 
And  most  of  us  would  strenuously  protest 
A  patent  writ  that  could  the  sexes  part. 

166 

"Some  speak  of  Free  Love.     Could  there  ever  be 
A  loving  thought  that  was  not  pure  and  free.? 
But  those  who  seek  to  dodge  the  Great  Account 
With  savage  fingers  strangle  Liberty. 


174  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

167 

"Do  roses  bloom  just  in  the  selfsame  mode 
North,  South  and  East,  in  free  and  glass  abode? 
Is  each  strength  equal,  each  blood  even  red? — 
There  may  be  some  Elastic  in  a  Code. 

168 
"Into  some  thousand  other  souls  our  thread 
Of  life  we  weave.     'Tis  clear  that  as  we  had 
Of  kindness  given  so  is  blest  our  weave, 
And  lasting  as  we  unto  Justice  add. 

169 

"Sweet  glows  the  truth,  and  soon  the  little  gust 
Your  right  resentment  raised  will  lay  the  dust 
Fierce  gallop  of  wild  years  had  left  behind — 
Of  equal  woman  comes  the  woman  just. 

170 
"No  master  ever  would  or  could  love  his 
Poor  slave,  whose  love  in  turn  were  amiss. 
This  is  the  grandeur  and  the  pride  of  life. 
That  love  can  only  be  where  Freedom  is. 

171 

"So,  treat  the  heart  to  music's  healing  strain. 
Give  intellectual  feastings  to  the  brain. 
But  don't  forget  the  spread,  the  wine,  the  kiss — 
Twins  may  be  born  but  never  babe  atwain." 

172 

Some  female  authors  met  on  deck  above, 
(Not  everyone  as  gentle  as  a  dove) 
Some  wore  short  hair,  but  all  for  that  they  were 
An  enemy  that  men  could  really  love. 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  175 

173 
Oh,  clear  your  system  of  the  error  stale 
That  to  the  cross  of  slavery  must  nail 
Somebody  some  one  else,  and  least  of  all 
Should  robust  power  crucify  the  frail. 

174 

These  Female  Authors,  friend,  you  may  well  dread — 
Ere  this  the  slaves  were  never  college  bred ; 
On  right  and  wrong — if  you  have  never  thought 
In  all  your  life — you  soon  will  wish  you  had. 

175 

Now  can  you  hear  man's  honest  praises  sung 
By  some  one  not  himself  (though  closely  clung) 
And  unless  you  have  walked  the  narrow  path 
Of  even  justice — well,  you  must  feel  stung. 

176 
Wrong  follows  wrong  as  Right  is  guiding  right — 
The  world  has  not  yet  seen  its  sorest  plight. 
Wait  for  the  next  Good  Book  in  which  a  new 
Creation  story  Female  Authors  write. 

177 
What?  count  him  chattel?     Too  much  care.     Or  go 
To  let  his  makings  be  a  rib?     Oh,  no,  no ! 
The  woman  will  not  have  been  made  of  clay — 
And  man  will  have  been  made  of  her  "small  toe." 

178 
Oh,  Lady  Authors  thousand  decades  hence 
Look  through  a  candid  magnifying  lens 
With  eyes  in  mercy  washed.     You'll  surely  find 
That  not  all  males  made  war  on  common  sense — 


176  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

179 

Your  open  doctrines  they  can  criticize, 
Your  secret  motives  they  can  analyze, 
For  independence  they  can  pay  the  prize — 
And  your  emotions  they  can  tantalize. 

180 

Yet  drink  to  hope!    As  sure  as  out  of  East 
The  blissful  Sun  shines  forth,  love  is  life's  yeast; 
And  though  the  sexes  go  to  civil  war 
It  all  will  end  in  one  grand  kissing  feast. 


VII 


181 

Escaped  from  varied  dangers,  with  a  pen 
Still  hale  and  hearty,  we  sought  out  a  glen 
(This  is  our  trials'  climax;  courage,  soul!) 
And  bravely  entered  the  Reformers'  Den! 

182 

We  saw  there  many  worthy  of  esteem. 

The  eyes  of  whom  shone  with  some  special  dream ; 

But  all  alike  shot  forth  a  greenish  ray — 

A  mutually  nurtured  jealous  gleam. 

183 

"Why  do  you  wrangle?"     Answer:  "If  we  here. 
Or  something  wrongly  say  or  wrongly  hear — 
Instead  of  wasting  time  on  courtesies. 
With  gusto  pull  each  other  by  the  ear." 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  177 

184 
"We  want  short  hours!"     "We  want  much  higher 

pay!" 
"We  will  improve  the  laws !"     "You  will  not.     Nay, 
We  want  the  tools  of  toil!"     "You're  fakers  all; 
We  want  the  Earth  and  want  it  right  away !" 

185 
A  venerable  person  with  soft  throat 
Attempted  to  inject  a  peaceful  note. 
Of  course,  he  fared — like  those  who  stand  between 
Two  countries  thirsting  blood — he  was  the  goat. 

186 
The  old  man  was  assailed  as  by  a  pack 
Of  rancorous  Critics:  "Say,  what  is  your  tack?" 
"What  are  you,  speak !"  he  answered :  "All  you  are 
Without  faction's  collar  on  my  neck." 

187 
"Permit  not  pride  to  blind  you.     Lo,  upon 
This  Earth  some  billion  others  struggle  on ; 
Nor  ever  feel  a  weightless  cipher,  naught ; 
For  all  the  world  must  always  count  you  one. 

188 
"Environ's  thrall  is  hard  to  break,  for  it 
Gave  to  the  soul  a  solar-plexus  hit — 
Yet  for  all  that  are  you  as  bright  and  true, 
As  good  and  kind  as  matters  now  permit.?' 

189 
"Look  at  the  romping  children's  workaday; 
How  they  delight  in  effort !     And  so  may 
Come  work  to  men.    And  so  we  may  expect 
That  work  to  men  will  be  like  children's  play. 


178  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

190 

"Fine  dreams  promote  good  health.     Dream  on  with 

zest, 
Dream  out  the  Millennial  State,  the  blest. 
Embracing  all  in  such  equality 
That  even  minds  of  men  will  march  abreast. 

191 

"But  even  if  To-morrow  dreams  come  true 
Here  is  To-day  that  must  be  traveled  through. 
Evade  the  pitfalls  on  the  poor  old  road 
Though  we  may  reach  another,  good  and  new. 

192 

"You  quickly  find  the  vulnerable  breech 
In  those  who  live  on  wine  but  water  preach. 
And  is  your  life  and  doctrine  in  accord 
At  least  to  such  extent  as  it  may  reach.? 

193 

"Within  the  woods  a  unit  stands  each  tree, 
So  in  this  Hfe  the  conscious  unit  we; 
Then  search  within,  for  if  created  right. 
Within,  of  all  there  must  a  mirror  be. 

194 

"Unequal  is  the  range  of  eyes,  you  stand 
Surveying  through  a  lens  the  Promised  Land ; 
But  whose  the  keenest  vision,  truest  sight? 
Optometrists  cannot  take  here  command — 

195 

"How  many  times  you  vainly  tried  your  best 
To  understand  thought  as  by  some  exprest. 
And  is  it  beyond  possibility 
That  your  own  preachments  so  affect  the  rest? 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  179 

196 

"Some  distant  see  through  mist  and  maze;  some  mind 
Must  feel  by  touch  the  objects  well  defined. 
How  then  could  it  be  otherwise,  but  some 
Must  forge  ahead  and  some  must  lag  behind? 

197 

"Much,  far  too  much  of  Martyr's  breath  had  flown 

In  ages  past  and  also  in  our  own. 

Must  you  decry  one  who  objects  to  serve 

A  crimson  drink  for  tyrants  thirsty  grown.'"' 

198 
Thus  long  he  spoke,  then  cat-calls  had  full  scope. 
"He's  paid  to  wreck  our  movement!"  .  .  .  "Preach- 
er's dope." 
And  so  they  scattered  to  their  several  themes: 
"Resist  authority!"     "Down  with  the  Pope!" 

199 

"Down  with  the  court!"  some  cried  excitedly, 
They  downed  each  other  with  especial  glee. 
Yet  there  was  one  thing  sacred,  unbesmirched — 
For  not  a  solitary  soul  cried:  "Down  with  me!" 

200 

The  "Revolution,"  bah!     Each  has  a  sense 
Of  his  own  little  cause  with  vehemence 
Exposing  that  exclusively  as  "great" 
But  when  accomplished:  what's  the  difference .'^ 

201 

How  carelessly  do  fall  your  dice  o'  Luck! 
Some  souls  amid  the  flowers  run  amuck ; 
In  hues  and  tints  and  fragrance  many  dwell, 
And  some  again  must  needs  be  raking  muck.   ... 


180  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

202 

Now,  even  in  this  noisy  confused  place, 
Here,  too,  a  torch  of  wisdom  was  ablaze; 
As  if  a  Providence  were  bound  to  save 
The  faith  in  Progress  of  the  human  race. 

203 
*'Give  moral   strength   to   hearts   through  weakness 

rent, 
Him  understanding  who  is  folly-spent. 
But  if  you  only  rave  against  the  crutch 
They  lean  upon,  not  they,  but  you  repent ! 

204 
"Give  time  your  seeds  to  swell,  nor  strike  a  blow 
At  sapling  trees  of  hope  for  growing  slow ; 
See,  all  the  gold  that  shines  from  out  the  past. 
At  one  time  seemed  but  unsubstantial  glow. 

205 
"To  feel  the  pride  of  sect,  stick  to  your  clan ; 
For  sickly  joys  of  snobbing  caste  you  can 
Look  up  or  down  as  fancy  turns  your  head ; 
To  love  the  world  aright  just  be  a  man. 

206 
"The  trees  of  mind  are  grown  from  seeds  of  thought ; 
Their    leaves    and    twigs    through    ponderings    are 

brought ; 
Their  flowers  problems  are,  most  deeply  felt ; 
Fruitions  are  good-will  and  wisdom  wrought. 

207 

"Why  gayety  on  principle  resist? 
Look  at  the  temperance  town's  long  druggist  list — 
You  may  hold  land  though  preaching  Single  Tax, 
You  may  be  cheerful  though  a  Socialist. 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  181 

208 

"Go  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  and  sip  the  soup 
Of  fellowship.     You  may  see  every  troupe 
At  work  and  find  they  manage  things  alike — 
As  'branch',  as  'church',  as  'club',  or  as  a  'group'. 

209 
"The  Trojans  and  the  warlike  Greeks  of  old 
All  through  a  siege  in  friendly  combat  rolled; 
They  held  the  glass  while  holding  for  the  stake 
Why  should  you  not  as  friends  such  cheer  enfold? 

210 
"And  though  the  trusts  may  tax  you  right  and  left. 
Feel  not  so  'blue'  of  cheery  mood  bereft ; 
Go  sound  your  flute,  or  wind  your  graphophone 
All  is  not  lost  while  anything  is  left." 


VIII 

HALL    OF    THE    DEAD 
211 

Still  seeking  truth  the  love  of  which  has  led 
Us,  all  through  life,,  we  venture  on  to  tread 
On  ground  made  holy  by  men's  deepest  thoughts 
And  sorrows — 'tis  the  Chamber  of  the  Dead. 

212 

We  see  a  corpse  in  majesty  composed. 
Whose  deeds  stand  high  in  history  enclosed. 
Who  could  compute  the  lives  that  made  him  great, 
How  much  of  effort  was  his  own  at  most.? 


182  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

213 

And  yonder  corpse,  unbeautiful  and  plain, 
In  life  laid  rails  where  now  they  run  a  train 
Which  oft  reflects  two  moons  (Moon  of  the  sky 
And  Honeymoon),  count  you  such  life  for  vain? 

214 
There  rests  a  servant  girl.    The  final  call 
Of  hers  is  felt  but  in  a  circle  small. 
She  neither  preached  of  Right,  nor  sang  of  Hope 
Nor  posed  for  beauty — yet  she  lived  it  all. 

215 

A  mother  sobbed:    "Why  was  he  born,  why.?" 
The  dead  babe  seemed  to  say :    "Oh,  do  not  cry. 
A  thousand  hopes  I  gave  you  and  some  joy. 
Enough  for  me  to  live  for  and  to  die." 

216 

One  spake  to  friends  and  family  aggrieved 
Whose  flow'ry  tokens  he  could  well  perceive: 
"Go  take  these  flowers  where  they  can  delight. 
Give  while  you  may,  to  those  who  can  receive. 

217 

And  one  there  was  with  hands  in  prayer  laid 
For  whom  before  death  many  friends  had  prayed, 
Done  nothing  else — For  her  this  epitaph: 
"I  did  not  have  to  die,  I  died  for  faith." 

218 

And  one,  himself  a  pilot  of  the  sky 
Was  being  sent  off  with  much  hue  and  cry ; 
But  some  fine  old  corpse  made  this  curt  remark: 
"Live  rightly,  friend,  and  you  can  safely  die. 


HUMANE    HUMANITY  183 

219 
"Did  ever  loving  heart  wish  that  the  pall 
Of  sombre  crepe  upon  a  loved  one  fall? 
Why  mourn  you  then  with  useless  outward  show? 
Perhaps,  he  mourns  best  who  mourns  not  at  all." 

220 
Two  corpses:  one  in  silk,  one  cotton  clad. 
One  shrivelled  thin,  the  other  puffed  up  fat ; 
Mute  commentary  on  this  fretful  age — 
One  had  been  starved,  the  other  fed  to  death.  .  .  . 

221 

And  yonder  corpse  smiles ;  as  in  slumber,  one 
Whose  lips  express  triumphantly:     I  won! 
He  understood  the  world,  he  lived  and  loved 
And  labored  well;  and  so  to  die  seems  fun! 

222 

"Some  thought  to  gain  at  my  cost,  but  I  knew 
The  world's  account  was  mine !    And  revenue 
Derived  therefrom  is  rich  beyond  the  dreams 
Of  avarice  dreamt  by  the  foolish  few. 

223 

"No  honest  man  need  fear  the  ghastly  net 
By  Death,  that  ancient  dark  collector,  set. 
Life's  contract  reads  :     'Upon  demand  I  pay' ; 
Who  would  object  to  paying  off  his  debt? 

224 
"Old  superstition !    Were  it  not  for  aid 
The  veil  receives,  there  would  be  none  afraid. 
If  you  have  reason,  reason  this  one  out : 
Why  should  one  fear  what  no  one  can  evade? 


184  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

225 

"Who  would  repeatedly  admission  pay 
For  witnessing  the  selfsame  spoiled  play? 
If  life  was  sweet  why  not  conclude  it  glad 
For  having  lived  to  see  a  Joyous  Day? 

226 
"  'Tis  ours  to  bless,  the  curse  our  own  rebuff 
Because  a  well-lived  life  is  worth — the  rough 
Excruciating  pains  of  Birth  and  Death ; 
The  other  kind  is  punishment  enough. 

227 

"Now,  one  who  cleaner  lived  than  that  he  knew 
Lost  satisfaction's  precious  revenue. 
And  he  who  lived  life  worse  than  that  he  might, 
He  was  defrauding  and  a  loser  too." 

228 
A  young  man  with  a  bullet  in  his  side. 
Self  shot,  wrote  in  his  final  note :  "I  tried 
In  vain  to  win  the  love  of  one  I  loved, 
I  die  for  love" — Such  love !     Perhaps  he  lied. 

229 

Another,  who  had  cut  his  jugular  vein. 
Seemed  duty  bound  his  sore  plight  to  explain. 
"I  was  too  sick,  why  should  I  have  lived  on?" 
To  make  the  soul  victorious  over  pain. 

230 

One  suicide  closed  life  just  to  prevent 
War!     Cries  of  "overpopulation"  rent 
His  heart.     Poor  victim  of  credulity! 
The  ones  who  cried  so  hard — a-fishing  went. 


HUMANE  HUMANITY  185 

231 

One  rule  has  no  exception:  'tis  the  rule 
That  every  life  flows  to  the  common  pool 
Of  death.    Alike,  beyond  dispute,  'tis  true : 
Than  human  life  there  is  no  finer  tool. 

232 

And  tools  for  which  to-day  you  find  no  use 
To-morrow  may  a  thousand  lives  infuse 
With  pleasures  newly  wrought.    Therefore,  hold  on 
And  make  with  time's  reverses  timely  truce. 

238 

An  author  to  his  friends  this  message  sent : 
"Go,  brothers,  dear,  and  raise  that  monument 
To  all  the  million  men  and  million  things 
My  soul  to  speak  enticed  and  power  lent. 

234 

"None  can  compute  with  figures  nor  with  sign, 
The  findings  of  how  many  souls  are  mine 
Or  yours ;  then  who  could  tell  about  our  light 
How  long  or  for  how  many  it  may  shine.'' 

235 

"To  render  and  receive,  dear  brethren,  such 
The  weave  of  friendship,  though  of  highest  notch. 
And  would  you  have  it  live  until  you  die.? 
Sufficient  give  and  do  not  take  too  much. 

236 

"I  met  reverses;  what  charm  helped  me  through.'* 

Impartialness  to  mine  own  want  and  due. 

A  disposition  striving  to  be  fair — 

And  these,  my  friends,  I  now  bequeath  to  you." 


186  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

237 

And  as  the  Sun  beyond  the  mountains  lowered 
A  torchlight  rose  and  argument  forth  poured; 
The  claims  of  flame  against  the  damp,  dark  grave 
Awaiting  bodies — there  to  be  devoured. 

238 
That  Tool  Magnificent  is  surely  fit 
To  end  in  cleaner  hold  than  graveyard's  pit — 
The  last  good  thing  a  man  can  do  on  Earth 
Is  to  release  and  not  encumber  it. 

239 

The  cryptic  Mysteries  of  Death !    Why  fill 
The  living  heart  with  its  enigmas  still? 
Death  takes  and  leaves  and  reconciles  results, 
But  it  is  life's  prerogative  to  mil. 

240 
And  so  we  will  review  the  sweet  grape,  rife 
With  sparkling  glow,  to  help  us  in  our  strife 
Towards  perfection.  Master  Goal  which  calls 
Us  back  to  scented  passage  ways  of  life. 


IX 

LOVE  AND  HOPE 
241 

Perhaps  the  creaks  of  the  complaining  crank 
Will  never  cease;  yet,  surely,  he  can  thank 
His  stars  who  found  the  Well  of  Love  and  from 
Its  charming  water  satisfaction  drank. 


HUMANE  HUMANITY  187 

242 

'Midst  earthquakes,  wars  and  feuds  creation's  sway 
Brought  love  to  vanquish  hate  and  hold  at  bay 
Discordant  forces  leagued  to  wreck  the  world; 
Go  choose  your  side — but  love  gives  higher  pay. 

243 

Love  in  its  very  hurt  is  virtue's  aid; 
Love  is  in  hope  a  rainbow  promise-made, 
(As  but  a  memory  it  will  sustain), 
Love  realized  puts  heaven  into  shade. 

244 
To  all  the  wrongs  of  Earth  I  have  been  prey ; 
Yet  in  one  hour,  under  sweet  love's  sway, 
I  could  forgive  them  all — opponents  mean. 
False  friends — And  did  forgive  them  all  for  aye. 

245 

If  love  is  altar  where  you  daily  kneel. 
Your  treasure  ship  (from  topmast  to  the  keel) 
You  may  donate  with  all  yourself  to  boot. 
And  yet  for  love's  bliss  always  debtor  feel. 

246 

Put  all  men  wrote  about  love  into  one 
Sum;  multiply  it  over  and  anon. 
Ever  so  long;  and  all  the  light  you  see, 
Is  but  a  gleaming  of  the  Lovers'  Sun. 

247 
Does  it  seem  mockery  to  show  the  gold 
Of  love  to  those  forlorn  in  the  cold 
Of  loveless  life?     Not  so,  it  is  to  urge 
The  crusted  heart  its  blessing  to  unfold. 


188  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

248 
Love  scorns  death,  for  love  will  put  the  "I" 
In  line  with  "thou"  and  "they"  and  reason :  why, 
If  others  are  to  crumble  into  dust 
It  is  but  right  that  I — I,  too,  shall  die. 

249 

In  love  there  is,  dear  brethren,  love  and  love ; 
One  is  a  hundred  thousand  miles  above 
The  other.     Oh,  poor  terminology — 
A  dulse  by  any  name  is  not  a  dove. 

250 
That  is  not  love  when,  swayed  by  passion's  dart. 
You  crave  to  kiss  your  glowing  counterpart — 
Want  her  when  weakest,  want  him  at  his  worst. 
Then  may  you   think  that  love  has   touched  your 
heart. 

251 
The  murderous  passion,  stage  tragedian  tells 
About  and  kills  for,  stuns  you.     As  one  delves 
Into  its  mysteries.     Love  can  be  seen 
At  fault.     Such  heroes  love  too  much — themselves. 

252 
Within  the  florist's  charming  window  there 
A  budding  rose  blushed  next  a  lilac  rare. 
From  all  the  hearts  that  longed  to  take  them  home 
None  searched  the  science  of  the  flowers'  care. 

253 

Oh,  wisdom,  wisdom !    Light  from  our  Sun 
Is  not  more  blessing  than  the  rays  you.  spun 
Out  of  men's  minds.    Oh,  shine  upon  the  road 
When  needed  most — in  youth,  life's  early  dawn. 


HUMANE  HUMANITY  189 

254 

But  wisdom,  knowledge  come  with  later  years, 
Alas,  quite  often  holding  off  arrears 
And  so  the  brightest,  kindest,  keenest  souls, 
Some  time  or  other  shed  Repentant  tears. 

255 

Adolescence,  too,  brings  on  aches  and  pains; 
The  burning  anguish  of  unfolding  brains — 
Will!     And  you  may  the  blood  of  thousand  great 
Philosophers  feel  coursing  through  your  veins. 

256 
And  what  is  pain?    A  simple  cry  for  health. 
Lend  to  impoverished  blood  the  precious  wealth 
Of  pure  sustenance,  and  the  roses'  bloom 
On  pallid  cheeks  are  more  than  ever  felt. 

^57 

Oh,  well,  what  of  mistakes?     They  must  or  may 
Like  teachers,  frown  their  lessons  to  convey. 
He  is  secure  upon  the  road  to  Right 
Who  does  not  blunder  twice  the  selfsame  way — 

258 
Look  at  the  tombstone  Shakespeare  carved  and  thus 
Set  up  for  Timon.     Read  your  way.     To  us: 
"Oft  seeming  gainers  really  lose  the  game. 
And  losing  wealth  is  not  a  killing  loss." 

259 

You,  likely,  heard  of  wealthy  heirs  who  spend 
Their  lives  in  fearful  squalor  to  the  end. 
Not  knowing  of  their  heritage ;  so  fares 
Who  does  not  know  the  value  of  a  friend. 


190  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

260 

True  friendship  brightens,  lightens,  lifts  the  soul ; 
No  waves  so  rough  but  through  it  smoother  roll; 
It  is  like  having  all  beside  yourself 
Another  one  to  help  you  to  the  goal. 

261 

In  spite  of  thunder,  windstorm,  lightning,  hail ; 
Beyond  the  clouds  the  Sun  is  shining  hale 
And  heartily.     And  so  it  is  with  us, 
The  heart  is  full  of  blessings  though  it  ail. 

262 
Hope  is  not  hope  if  it  be  jealous,  small. 
True  hope  is  like  the  Sun's  encircling  call. 
It  often  may  be  hid  behind  the  clouds. 
But  everywhere  and  always  shines  for  all. 

263 

And  there  are  false  hopes  (which  breed  and  prolong 
The  miseries  on  Earth),  held  by  a  throng 
That  shirks  responsibility  for  things  that  hurt — 
In  hope,  too,  there  is  right  and  there  is  wrong. 

264 

Some  preachers  run  a  Mental  Marathon 
Around  word-shadows,  bidding  you  to  shun 
Or  this,  or  that,  although  there  is  no  sin — 
Excepting  only  the  one  of  harm  done. 

265 

And  having  but  a  simple,  single  sin 
To  hold  before  the  view  without,  within. 
Bear  down  upon  it  with  your  might  and  main ; 
Thus  barter  evil  for  its  antonym. 


HUMANE  HUMANITY  191 

266 

Sweet  are  the  waters  in  the  wondrous  well 
Of  Earthly  hopes,  oh,  who  can  ever  tell 
Its  glories  all?     Yet  you  may  hope  beyond 
Terrestrial  spheres — But  why  should  you  want  Hell  ? 

267 

Must  spade  the  crusted  ground,  must  hold  the  plow — 
But  think  of  the  returns !    A  crimson  flow 
Of  wines  and  kisses,  symphony  of  bloom. 
And  all  the  starry  heaven's  wondrous  glow. 

268 
Abuse  not  Hope  by  spending  days  enthralled 
In  idle  trance.    The  adding  of  the  salt 
In  cookery  serves  taste,  digestion ;  but 
At  some  degree  'tis  best  to  call  a  halt. 

269 
Truth  won  if  your  own  soul  it  has  imbued. 
What  if  you  cannot  move  the  multitude 
Along  your  path?    Your  pioneering  life, 
Perhaps,  is  linked  into  a  song's  etude. 

270 
Sweet  Love  and  Hope !  Earth-born,  heaven-crowned ; 
Enchantingly  invites  their  garden  ground, 
And  wheresoever  human  duty  calls. 
Their  music  and  their  fragrance  may  be  found. 


192  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 


TRUTH   AND   WISDOM 

271 

To  be  a  nabob  rich  beyond  surmise 

Seek  through  the  World  of  Wisdom.    From  its  skies 

Take  all  the  glory  you  can  hold.     In  time 

You  enter  the  Great  Synod  of  the  Wise. 

272 
And  no  one  creed,  nor  two,  nor  six,  nor  ten    ' 
Have  power  to  deny  you.    They  serve  when 
And  as  they  can,  but  none  holds  all  truth,  none 
Could  corner  all  the  wisdom  found  by  men. 

273 

And  you  wiU  have  arrived  when  your  own  lamp 
Will  show  you  to  a  self-sustaining  camp 
Of  happiness  which  other  pilgrims  may 
Reach  also,  through  you,  with  a  lighter  tramp. 

274 
The  veritable  Social  laws  forsooth 
Like  balanced  figures  always  work  out  smooth 
And  that  which  mercilessly  jars  or  hurts 
Or  breaks  men's  hearts — that  lacks  the  truth. 

275 

Aye,   countless    souls   have   gone   through   fire   and 

stress ; 
Through  hope  and  through  despair  they  toiled  to 

bless 
Our  minds  with  knowledge,  wisdom,  and  with  strength 
Enabling  us  to  make — a  closer  guess. 


HUMANE  HUMANITY  19S 

276 
The  truth !     Oh,  how  it  shines  when  newly  found, 
What  glorious  light  it  sheds  upon  the  ground 
We  tread  !    Exultant  feels  the  heart  and  free ; 
Then  sad  again,  because  the  rest  are  bound — 

277 
At  first  we  feel  that  all  the  sleeping  world 
Will  wake  if  but  the  words  of  truth  be  hurled 
Before  its  eyes.     Then,  by  and  by  we  find 
Our  very  mottoes  having  stood  unfurled 

278 
Through  ages  past.     Through  ages  yet  to  come 
Hearts  must  be  moulded,  must  be  overcome 
By  glorious  truth ;  its  world  encircling  sway 
Is  to  be  gathered  slowly,  crumb  by  crumb. 

279 
"So  many  shades  to  life,  which  is  your  clue?" 
"I  take  in  every  color  and  each  hue. 
To  live  on  unadulterated  wine 
Judge  all  the  drinks  and  strike  out  for  the  true." 

280 
We  may  repair  to  fortune-teller's  hut 
And  pay  for  cleverness,  or  chatter,  but 
Approaching  augurers  to  pawn  ourselves 
For  what  they  do  not  know;  we'd  better  not. 

281 
Or  wise  or  foolish,  strong  as  well  as  weak 
Are  out  to  find  the  bubbling  crystal  creek 
Of  happiness ;  yet  some  shed  tears  because 
To  walk  one  moves,  to  find  one  has  to  seek. 


194  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

282 
"And,  wherefore  should  we  woes  of  life  employ 
The  gayety  of  one's  heart  to  destroy?" 
— "Who  comprehends  the  woes  of  all  the  world, 
He  needs  must  be  a  sharer  in  all  joy." 

283 

"Is  there  a  balm  for  this? — Oh,  cheerful  sage — 
On  questions  grave  and  oft  of  hoary  age 
Men  will  contend" — "  'Tis  not  the  core,  the  heart 
But  play  of  words  brings  controversial  rage." 

284 
If  fame  you  crave,  what  think  you  of  the  cause 
That  gives  some  nonsense  deafening  applause? 
You  have  done  well  if  thoughts,  in  fine  review. 
To  you  reverting  may  with  pleasure  pause. 

285 
"You  are  no  better  than  the  rest ;  you  aim 
To  rise  upon  the  far-spread  wings  of  fame." 
— "I  give  a  name  by  which  to  know  a  work 
And  not  a  work  by  which  to  know  a  name." 

286 
He  needs  wins  most  who  can  do  most  for  most 
That  need  it  most ;  to  him  goes  out  the  toast 
Of  human  love.     With  such  boon  within  reach 
Should  anyone  of  worthless  trinkets  boast? 

287 
How  small  the  atoms,  yet  how  fast  they  dart 
Through  space,  a  world  of  which  they  are  a  part, 
Life  but  a  moment,  yet  all  time  contains 
Each  throb  of  every  living  human  heart. 


HUMANE  HUMANITY  195 

288 
With  every  breath  through  every  feast  and  fast, 
We  live  the  future,  present  and  the  past. 
Things  white  of  age  we  know,  and  so  we  can 
Be  thrilled  by  triumphs  man  will  win  at  last. 

289 
Each  life  has  meaning  of  its  own,  methinks ; 
It,  like  a  noun,  sense  through  the  sentence  brings; 
And  like  a  little  line  within  the  verse. 
Each  single  life  to  past  and  future  links! 

290 
The  past  projects  its  shadows,  and  the  doom 
Of  future  years  may  cast  you  into  gloom — 
Strike  at  them  both,  take  glory  from  the  past 
And  let  the  future  ripen  hopes  to  bloom. 

291 

Unlike  the  shadows  which  some  minds  endow 
With  living  qualities,  'tis  here  and  now 
The  real  eternal  life;  'tis  in  your  hold, 
And  so  with  every  breath  of  yours  aflow. 

292 

And  if  our  sky  included  every  clime, 
And  if  our  brains  thought  on  in  endless  rhyme. 
And  if  our  hearts  would  never  cease  to  beat, 
We  would  but  live  a  moment  at  a  time. 

298 

Observe  the  flowing  river;  force  opposed. 
Into  the  turnings  of  the  wheels  transposed. 
Producing  force  again.     The  river  flows, 
And  where  and  when  shall  its  life-force  be  closed? 


196  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

294 
Upon  the  face  of  Earth  creation  wrought, 
No  more  of  wonder  than  the  kindly  thought ; 
In  coming  it  brings  sunshine  'mid  the  snows, 
Returning  flies,  with  joyful  pleasure  fraught. 

295 

How  many  flowers  bloom  from  seeds  you  gave 
In  care  of  others!     Likewise  thoughts  behave. 
And  if  we  love  to  see  plants  growing  fine 
How  much  more  so,  minds,  beautiful  and  brave? 

296 

Why?    Whither?    Whence?    This  is  the  story  terse. 
The  atoms  gather,  then  again  disperse — 
Meanwhile,  we  deepen  while  we  drink  from  out 
The  well  of  life  in  this  great  universe. 

297 
We  found  some  wine  at  hand  within  the  cup, 
And  owe  the  vintage  of  another  drop — 
On  foot,  on  stilts,  or  flying  aeroplanes 
We  are  compelled  to  move  and  cannot  stop. 

298 

And  life's  great  problem  seems  to  me  quite  plain. 
Let  us  not  cause  unnecessary  pain 
And  joy  much  more  than  ever  was  conceived. 
For  heaven,  here  upon  this  Earth,  will  reign. 

299 

With  glowing  health  Earth's  paradise  to  tap, 
With  love  abloom  (held  snugly  in  your  lap) 
Live  on !     Strive  on !     Hope  on  until  the  end — 
If  this  be  foolish,  wisdom  wants  the  cap. 


HUMANE  HUMANITY  197 

300 

Two  gifts  to  have  all  good  men  are  inclined ; 
Oh,  may  posterity  the  fortune  find, 
Endowing  each  one  with  a  love-filled  heart 
And  with  a  healthy,  independent  mind. 


PART    FIVE 

JOHN   DOE    THOUGHT    AND    HIS    SEARCH 
FOR    STYLE 

(a  study  of  expression  cast  into  story  form) 


JOHN   DOE    THOUGHT   AND    HIS    SEARCH 
FOR    STYLE 

The  mysterious  birth  of  John  Doe  Thought,  the 
wonderful  individual  having  the  role  of  hero  in  this 
narrative,  cannot  be  explained,  nor  would  any  ex- 
planation throw  more  light  on  his  eventful  career. 
It  is  sufficient  to  recognize  in  him  a  descendant  of  the 
much-known  personage  whose  name  he  bore.  Fur- 
ther on  will  appear  how  he  came  by  the  additional 
surname.  Thought. 

His  years  of  childhood  were  spent  in  a  rather 
untamed  fashion;  a  boisterous  ragamuffin,  bobbing 
up  here  and  there;  now  and  then  causing  disquiet, 
even  consternation.  Eventually  he  settled  down  in 
one  of  the  Cell  Farms,  millions  of  which  —  reliable 
economists  tell  us — decay  from  sheer  neglect  in  un- 
productive idleness. 

In  this  case  the  right  soil  and  the  right  party 
must  have  met,  for  within  a  short  while  the  place 
became  not  only  self-supporting  but  a  supply  sta- 
tion of  the  neighborhood.  People  came  from  the 
counties  round-about  to  avail  themselves  of  the  com- 
fort and  assistance  which  John  Doe  proffered  them 
in  a  liberal  measure  and  in  a  winning  way.  He 
quenched  their  thirst  from  a  new  artesian  well  and 

201 


202  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

appeased  their  hunger  with  a  soul-satisfying  dish 
of  his  own  invention.  He  also  constructed  a  special 
burner  which  gave  brighter  rays  than  anybody  in 
that  district  had  seen  before.  Later  on  he  set  up  a 
little  power  plant  and,  with  a  dynamo  driven  by  a 
tiny  brook  on  the  farm,  he  illuminated  the  roadways 
of  the  countryside  so  thoroughly  that  the  people  of 
the  neighborhood  came  to  see  each  other  in  a  new 
and  better  light :  this  light  not  only  saved  them  from 
tumbling  over  each  other,  but  through  some  excep- 
tional merit  of  its  qualities  sweetened  their  temper 
and  dissolved  their  perplexities. 

So  great  a  blessing  could  not  be  accepted  without 
concern  for  its  author.  Indeed,  those  who  scold  man- 
kind on  the  score  of  ingratitude  forget  that  this  black 
emanation  of  iniquity  is  but  a  sign  of  squalor,  pain, 
misery  and  unhappiness.  Contented,  healthy,  joy- 
ous, happy  souls  cannot  be  otherwise  than  thankful 
and  cannot  refrain  from  showing  it. 

One  evening  two  citizens  met  on  a  roadway  made 
resplendent  by  the  new  invention.  In  days  gone  by 
they  had  been  constantly  quarrelsome  enemies;  now 
they  greeted  each  other  with  the  warmth  of  sincere 
friendliness. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Gloomer,  I  am  delighted  to  meet  you 
here!" 

"Why,  brother  Bloomer,  sure  enough  'tis  you! 
Geton  Road  is  mighty  pleasant,  isn't  it?" 

"Yes,  Geton  Road  is  quite  enchanting,  but  let 
me  tell  you  that  Peggon  Road  is  also  a  magnificent 
highway." 

"So  I  found  it.  And  to  think  how  much  we  argued 
about  which  one  was  the  only  safe  road  to  travel  on  I 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  203 

Well,  I  guess  we  ought  to  feel  ashamed  of  our  mis- 
takes." 

"Not  necessarily.  My  auto  got  smashed  on  a 
treacherous  turn  of  Geton  Road." 

"Peggon  Road  had  a  worse  jar  for  me.  I  stubbed 
my  toe  there,  sprained  my  right  arm  and  bruised  my 
nose.  We  certainly  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the 
fellow  supplying  light  where  there  was  darkness 
before." 

"Yes,  we  do.  Yes,  indeed!  Say,  I  really  believe 
he  is  too  good  to  be  cooped  up  in  this  corner  of  the 
state.     Let's  make  him  a  senator  or  something." 

"Make  him  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  state!" 

"Agreed!  Here  is  my  hand.  Shake  good  and 
hearty!  Look!  There  comes  a  jolly  bunch.  Hello, 
boys,  come  on  here,  hurry  up!" 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  one  of  the  company, 
after  forming  a  circle  as  requested. 

"Listen !  All  who  are  in  favor  of  John  Doe  being 
made  Lieutenant-Governor  of  this  state,  please  throw 
their  hats  into  the  ring!" 

A  number  of  hats  and  caps  flew  to  the  center  of 
the  circle.  A  few  of  the  group  remained  unrespon- 
sive. 

"Why,  what's  the  objection,  Mr.  Forsyth? 
Though  you  are  a  relative  of  Rev.  Doctor  Expe- 
diency, that  fact  shall  not  be  counted  against  you. 
Tell  us  your  misgivings,  post  your  signs  of  warning 
right  now." 

"I  have  no  warnings  to  offer  excepting  the  old 
caution  against  everything  that's  new.  This  new 
light  shines  all  right,  but  what  is  our  guaranty  that  it 
will  be  lasting?     Our  mutual  friend  John  Doe  seems 


204  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

to  be  a  worthy  fellow,  but  his  source  of  power  is  in- 
significant and,  goodness  gracious,  such  a  name! 
Why,  there  are  so  many  of  them  he  may  be  taken 
for  anybody  or  anything.  What  do  you  say,  Judge 
Trubee?" 

"I  declare  he  has  done  so  much  for  us  that  we 
can  well  afford  to  do  something  for  him,  and  I  pro- 
pose to  grant  him  a  worthy  cognomen  that  shall  com- 
mand the  respect  of  all." 

A  chorus  of  voices  rang  out :  "Let's  hear  it !" 

"By  the  authority  vested  in  me  I  declare  our  friend 
and  neighbor  John  Doe  from  now  on  legally  entitled 
to  the  worthy  surname  Thought." 

"Three  cheers  for  John  Doe  Thought!"  someone 
exclaimed. 

The  cheers  were  given  but  not  with  sufficient  ac- 
clamation to  please  Mr.  Bloomer.  "Say,  fellows," 
he  exclaimed  somewhat  peeved,  "we  don't  want  to 
have  any  political  jobbery  here.  If  you  mean  to 
stab  our  candidate,  do  it  right  now  before  his  career 
is  really  started.  Say,  Bookman,  you  are  awfully 
quiet;  come  on,  make  a  noise  of  some  kind!" 

"Very  well;  as  schoolmaster  of  the  district,  I  am 
competent  to  state  an  objection  which  you  seem  to 
overlook." 

"What  is  it?    What  is  it.?" 

"He  lacks  style!" 

A  long  crescendo  of  laughter  pealed  forth  from  the 
lusty  throat  of  young  Mr.  Ambition.  "Oh,  ho,  ho !" 
he  finished,  "he  is  no  dressmaker,  no  haberdasher,  nor 
milliner.     He  is  John  Doe  Thought " 

"I  do  not  care  what  he  is  or  who  he  is,"  spoke  up 
the  schoolmaster  in  stentorian  voice,  "style  makes  the 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  205 

man.  Everybody,  excepting  actresses  of  the  bur- 
lesque shows,  must  be  dressed  when  facing  the  world. 
Dress  implies  style.     No  style,  no  success " 

"Men  make  style,  I  should  say,"  broke  in  a  new 
voice. 

"Not  such  obscure  nonentities!  Do  you  want  to 
tie  up  to  a  failure  and  ruin  our  fair  State  of  Head.'*" 

"It  is  you  learned  fellows  that  disgrace  the  state. 
Not  one  among  you  originated  in  a  hundred  years  as 
much  of  an  improvement  as  John  Doe  Thought  pro- 
duced during  his  short  stay  with  us.  But  don't  let  us 
quarrel — suppose  we  all  go  to  question  him  and  see 
wherein  he  is  found  wanting." 

This  proposition  was  agreed  to  by  all  and  off  they 
marched  on  the  popular  errand  of  "heckling"  the 
candidate.  But  to  the  chagrin  of  some  and  the  satis- 
faction of  others,  they  were  given  scant  opportunity 
for  doing  so.  Instead,  they  were  treated  to  a  short 
but  comprehensive  speech  by  the  object  of  their 
solicitude : 

"Friends !"  he  addressed  them,  "By  the  aid  of  a 
microphone  I  overheard  your  deliberations,  and  in 
return  for  the  hearty  support  of  some  of  you  I  will 
open  my  heart  to  you  all.  I  have  a  purpose  in  life. 
It  is  to  improve  the  illumination  of  the  world.  The 
few  bright  spots,  which  caused  you  to  think  of  me  as 
much  as  your  presence  proves,  is  but  a  glimmer  of 
the  light  which  I  expect  to  diffuse.  My  case  is  clear, 
my  burner  perfect  and  the  power  I  lack  can  be  had 
in  abundance  by  harnessing  the  great  River  of  Will. 
This  river  runs  through  many  states.  I  feel  impelled 
to  go  forth  and  gain  the  consent  from  each  for  the 
purpose  in  view.     But  in  gaining  that  consent  my 


206  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

conduct,  words  and  gestures  must  depend  on  time 
and  mood  and  circumstances.  You  may  as  well  bind 
one  to  the  context  as  to  the  delivery  of  a  new  mes- 
sage. That  is  it.  I  have  a  message  to  deliver.  Think 
of  it,  I  have  to  gain  the  consent  of  at  least  thirty 
states  for  a  project  which  perhaps  none  has  yet 
considered.  You  see,  I  have  a  mission  in  life,  and 
so  I  not  only  accept  but  ask  your  support  to  fulfil 
it." 

Mr.  Bloomer  stuck  to  his  post.  In  a  sober  and 
subdued  voice  he  renewed  the  nomination  which  this 
time  was  carried  with  the  earnest,  almost  solemn  ap- 
proval of  the  entire  assemblage.  Then  and  there  a 
campaign  started  that  kept  the  little  republic  in  a 
turmoil  for  some  time. 

John  Doe  Thought  rejoiced  in  the  honor  accorded 
to  him.  His  vigorous  frame  was  surcharged  with 
energy  that  had  to  be  vented.  So  he  spent  it  in  much- 
needed  quarters — for  most  of  the  old  state  leaders 
had  yet  to  be  won  over  to  the  newcomer's  standard 
now  fluttering  in  the  breeze.  Thrilled  by  his  good 
prospects  as  only  youth  can  thrill,  and  with  a  dis- 
regard for  distant  consequences  such  as  only  youth 
is  capable  of,  he  worked  day  and  night  to  gain  the 
higher  standing  in  his  own  state ;  never  dreaming  that 
its  attainment  would,  after  all,  force  him  to  face  the 
great  Riddle  of  Style — face  it  in  the  shape  of  a  com- 
pelling dilemma  to  solve  the  problem  or  die  in  the 
attempt. 

That  occurrence  hovered  in  the  far-off  future,  but 
another  contingency  just  as  dramatic  awaited  him  in 
days  close  by  when  the  state  leaders  gathered  to  settle 
the  matter  of  his  candidacy  one  way  or  another. 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  207 

These  leaders,  of  course,  resembled  very  much  the 
guiding  forces  enthroned  in  other  states. 

There  was  a  governor  with  the  proverbial  "still 
small  voice"  guiding  the  ship  of  state  through  waves 
of  agitation  caused  by  its  own  citizenry,  and  also 
through  the  turbulent  cross-currents  brought  on  by 
winds  of  far-away  storms  blowing  against  ancient 
rocks  amidst  the  constant  flow  of  ever  restless  time. 

There  was  the  governor's  stern-looking,  yet  hand- 
some handmaid.  Lady  Justinia,  ever  at  work  to  main- 
tain an  equilibrium  amongst  the  unruly  constituents 
of  the  realm. 

Then  there  was  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Comfy  Snugg,  look- 
ing as  prosperous  and  happy  as  their  well-established 
social  position  bade  them  to  reflect.  There  was  the 
smooth-faced,  smiling  but  foxy  Rev.  Doctor  Ex- 
pediency and  his  venerable  friend  Grandpa  Tradition, 
he  with  the  long  white  flowing  beard,  a  disapproving 
nod  of  which  causes  faint  hearts  to  tremble  in  appre- 
hension. There  was  gluttonous  young  Mr.  Ambition 
and  his  father.  Old  Man  Work,  the  latter  bent  and 
worried  but  never  too  tired  or  too  stingy  to  pay  for 
the  antics  of  his  agile,  vivacious,  light-minded  boy. 
Last  to  be  mentioned  but  not  of  least  importance, 
there  was  querulous  old  Mrs.  Grundy,  standing  guard 
over  the  unpHghted  afl'ection  of  her  charming  daugh- 
ter. Miss  Love. 

At  the  first  sight  of  John  Doe  Thought  old  Mother 
Grundy  uttered  a  fearful  cry  of  alarm.  Instantly  the 
candidate  was  set  upon  by  her  friends,  and  it  took  the 
combined  eloquence  of  Bloomer,  Trubee,  and  their 
friends  to  still  the  tumult  and  to  restore  order  so  that 
deliberations  could  proceed. 


208  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

The  candidate  paid  little  attention  to  the  debate 
going  on.  .  .  .  He  had  something  much  more  im- 
portant to  observe,  for  he  noticed  the  longing  glances 
of  Miss  Love  glued  on  him  for  long  precious  mo- 
ments. He  returned  the  wireless  messages  with  glow- 
ing intensity.  Both  came  near  being  demonstrative, 
but  were  kept  in  check  by  Mother  Grundy's  grum- 
bling of  displeasure. 

As  time  wore  on  the  debate  became  more  loud  and 
the  speakers  more  excited.  The  Governor  favored  the 
candidate.  Raising  his"  "still  small  voice"  to  highest 
pitch,  he  said: 

"Fellow  citizens !  You  well  know  that  our  worthy 
friend  John  Doe  Thought  invented  a  new  light  which 
gave  satisfaction  throughout  the  state;  you  also 
know  that  he  intends  to  extend  his  work  in  a  way 
that  ultimately  must  reflect  credit  on  our  state. 
Now,  unless  you  can  nullify  the  facts  and  disprove 
his  contention,  I  urge — in  gratitude  to  our  forebears, 
in  justice  to  other  states  and  for  the  sake  of  our 
own  tranquillity — I  urge  that  you  elect  him  to  the 
office  and  let  him — with  the  prestige  thus  gained — let 
him  represent  our  state  in  the  councils  of  the  world !" 

Lady  Justinia  supported  the  Governor.  "Yes," 
she  said,  "I  watched  the  candidate,  examined  his  ante- 
cedents, looked  up  his  relations,  and  after  carefully 
weighing  his  bearing  in  all  directions,  I  am  satisfied 
that  he  is  all  right.  You  can  do  no  better  than  to 
place  in  his  hands  the  reins  of  the  state  government, 
subject,  of  course,  to  the  promptings  and  checkings 
of  our  good  old  governor." 

Mrs.  Grundy  murmured  a  note  of  disgust,  but  the 
eyes  of  her  beautiful  daughter  were  riveted  on  the 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  209 

candidate,  who  returned  the  gaze  of  shining  admira- 
tion with  no  diminution,  even  at  the  most  fiery  on- 
slaughts of  the  opposition. 

"No !"  cried  Mrs.  Snugg,  in  conclusion  of  an  im- 
passioned speech,  "we  do  not  want  a  government  by 
upstarts  !     Stand  pat ! !     Let  well  enough  alone !" 

"Second  the  motion!"  ejaculated  a  friend  of  the 
Snuggs,  and  a  mass  of  tired  electors  applauded 
vociferously. 

Young  Ambition  tried  to  turn  the  tide  but  was 
hooted  from  the  platform.  "He  has  no  money!" 
"He  can  make  no  money!"  "He  is  a  common 
drudge!"  "He  is  a  foreigner!"  they  cried.  "Who 
will  make  him  respectable?"  "Who  will  put  him  on 
his  feet  for  a  position  so  high?" 

"I  will !"  shouted  Old  Man  Work,  as  his  bent  but 
sinewy  figure  rose  to  the  full  height  of  its  giant 
size. 

"Hush !"  yelled  Mr.  Snugg.  "You  can  hardly  sup- 
ply our  present  demands." 

At  this  juncture  the  Rev.  Doctor  Expediency  rose 
to  make  an  address.  "Friends !"  he  said.  "You  have 
heard  Mrs.  Snugg  enlarging  on  the  dangers  and  dis- 
comforts connected  with  new  ventures  and  experi- 
mental activities ;  you  have  seen  the  long  white  beard 
of  our  venerable  friend  Grandpa  Tradition,  swaying 
in  disapproval  of  the  political  changes  proposed; 
now  let  me,  a  sincere  admirer  of  the  candidate,  ad- 
vance my  opinion.  There  is  no  use  closing  our  eyes 
to  the  fact  that  John  Doe  Thought  is  an  individual 
of  whom  our  state  may  feel  justly  proud.  The  light 
he  invented  illumines  our  thoroughfares  better  than 
they  were  ever  lighted  up  before,  but " 


210  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"But  the  but — "  interjected  young  Ambition  im- 
patiently. 

"But,"  proceeded  Dr.  Expediency,  "the  very  light 
he  has  given  us  is  blinding  to  others.  His  scheme, 
involving  so  many  other  states,  might  irritate  them 
into  deliberate  unfriendliness,  with  the  probable  result 
that  they  will  conspire  to  crush  our  state  out  of 
existence.  Surely  the  light  is  not  worth  such  a  can- 
dle. Remember  self-preservation  is  the  first  law  of 
nature,  also  the  second,  third,  fourth,  fifth,  and  per- 
haps some  more  ordinal  numbers  belong  to  this  law. 
For  this  reason,  let  our  friend,  if  he  be  truly  our 
friend,  retire  to  his  Cell  Farm  and  keep  his  lights  to 
ourselves.'* 

Young  Ambition  sprang  to  his  feet,  excitement  red- 
dened his  face  and  fired  his  voice  so  it  compelled  a 
hearing.  "Here,"  he  cried,  "is  our  one  chance  to 
raise  our  state  from  the  inglorious  mass  of  obscurity, 
and  you  miserable  flinchers  are  opposed  to  it !  Think 
of  the  glory  awaiting  us  when  other  states  will  have 
seen  the  light  that  shines  for  us  so  well!  They  will 
pay  us  homage,  all  the  world  will  envy  us " 

"Hold  on!  Silence!"  cried  the  candidate,  and 
while  the  assembly  readjusted  its  hearing  to  the  new 
voice  he  muttered  the  well  known  prayer :  "Oh,  Lord, 
deliver  me  from  such  friends.  .  .  .  Listen !"  he  said, 
when  silence  had  ensued,  "listen !  None  of  you  ques- 
tions my  merit,  yet  you  deny  me  recognition.  Have 
your  way.  But  I  cannot  live  in  the  sullen  atmosphere 
poisoned  by  double  dealing,  simulation  and  hypocrisy. 
Look !  if  I  cannot  live,  I  know  how  to  die !" 

He  bared  his  bosom  and  drew  a  stiletto  of  De- 
cision from  his  scabbard  of  Force.    The  strong  right 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  211 

arm  flashed  out  the  shining  weapon  and  brought  its 
gUstening  point  down — in  a  slow  deHberate  manner, 
as  if  to  make  a  last  feast  of  his  unimpaired  strength 
— brought  down  the  pointed  steel  until  it  reached  the 
naked  breast.  Just  then  the  arm  was  halted  by  the 
touch  of  a  soft  hand.  It  was  the  hand  of  Love. 
"Don't !"  she  whispered,  "I  am  with  you !" 

For  a  few  moments  John  Doe  Thought  was  lost  in 
wonderment,  then  he  felt  his  heart  electrified  into  a 
stronger  beat  than  he  ever  knew  before.  Back  slid 
the  weapon  into  its  scabbard.  His  face  shone  with 
the  light  of  triumph.  "Love  prompts  me  to  live!" 
he  shouted.     "Weaklings,  cowards,  I  defy  you  all!" 

During  the  weeks  that  followed  John  Doe  Thought 
and  his  bride  spent  many  blissful  hours  in  the  sacred 
confines  of  their  privacy.  So  much  so  that  his  fellow 
citizens  became  impatient  about  it.  Now  they  clam- 
ored for  him  to  be  their  champion  and  practically 
forced  him  to  the  part. 

Finding  himself  the  dominant  power  of  the  state, 
our  hero  decided  to  venture  forth  on  his  mission. 
No  sooner  was  this  announced  than  his  friends,  to- 
gether with  his  erstwhile  opponents,  resolved  upon 
arranging  a  great  send-off. 

They  gathered  in  front  of  the  brilliantly  lighted 
Cell  Farm,  each  bringing  a  little  token  of  esteem  or 
a  bit  of  advice. 

The  Governor  patted  him  on  the  shoulder,  saying : 
"I  am  satisfied." 

The  schoolmaster  shook  his  hand  vigorously. 
"You  are  made  of  the  right  stuff,"  he  said  in  an 
undertone,  "but  for  Art's  sake  remember  the  laws 
of  style!" 


212  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Mrs.  Sympathy,  who  befriended  him  from  his  very 
first  day  at  Cell  Farm,  brought  a  garland  of  roses 
bearing  the  legend:  "O'er  valley  or  hill,  we  are  with 
you  stiU." 

Lady  Justinia  presented  him  with  a  breastshield 
inscribed:  IMMORTAL  THOUGHT. 

Ambition  composed  a  march  to  lighten  his  steps. 

Old  Man  Work  outdid  himself  supplying  necessities 
for  the  journey. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snugg  solicited  contributions  for  a 
triumphal  feast  to  be  given  on  his  return. 

Dr.  Expediency  had  a  smile  for  everybody. 

Even  Grandpa  Tradition  came  around.  "Yes,"  he 
declared,  "there  must  be  pioneers — now  let  it  be  the 
turn  of  our  state." 

Encouraged  by  this  consent,  all  the  celebrants 
joined  in  a  joyous  maypole  dance.  In  picturesque 
turns  and  fantastic  motions  they  flitted  around,  sing- 
ing the  praises  of  our  hero  and  congratulating  each 
other  on  the  good  fortune  of  having  him  for  their 
champion. 

Thus,  with  the  hearty  good  wishes  of  a  jubilant 
state  and  with  Love's  sacred  good-by  kiss  on  his  lips, 
he  went  forth  on  the  first  of  his  eventful  pilgrimages. 

On  arriving  at  the  capitol  of  a  neighboring  state, 
he  tried  to  interview  the  political  leaders,  but  they 
were  all  busy  pulling  old  wires  and  could  not  give 
him  a  listening  ear.  Determined  to  put  before  the 
state  his  project,  he  settled  down  to  write  it  out.  He 
worked  with  untiring  devotion  on  the  treaties,  which 
took  him  about  a  month  to  complete.  All  the  while 
he  was  in  correspondence  with  Love,  who  received  a 
copy  of  each  finished  page.     When  the  work  was  all 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  213 

done,  he  showed  the  manuscript  to  a  Mr.  Average 
Man. 

"Well,"  asked  the  fellow,  after  an  habitual  cursory 
reading,  "well,  what  do  you  mean?"  And  the  ques- 
tion was  emphasized  by  a  face  as  blank  as  a  check- 
book with  no  bank  account  to  it. 

"Why,  don't  you  understand?  I  intend  to  estab- 
lish a  new  light " 

"Oh,  my!  and  break  an  established  rule?  Excuse 
me,  I  am  a  practical  man  with  a  family  to  take  care 
of  and  no  time  for  rainbow  chasing;  good  night." 

Several  attempts  in  other  states  had  the  same  re- 
sult. Irritated  by  his  own  failures,  John  Doe 
Thought  dashed  off  a  circular  attacking  the  Estab- 
lished Rule  and  denouncing  interested  axes  that  pre- 
fer grinding  in  the  dark. 

On  the  following  day  he  found  himself  in  a  county 
jail. 

Naturally  the  citizens  of  the  good  state  of  Head 
were  much  excited  over  the  arrest  of  John  Doe 
Thought.  Some  of  them  could  not  believe  the  terri- 
ble news  at  all.  They  knew  him  to  a  kind,  felici- 
tous fellow;  they  loved  him  and  felt  proud  of  him, 
and  now  the  cruel  blow  put  the  entire  state  on  the 
verge  of  disgrace. 

"But  how  could  he  be  arrested?"  asked  Mr.  Gloom- 
er,  his  bosom  friend. 

"By  the  powers  in  authority  who  rejoice  in  exer- 
cising it,"  answered  Mr.  Bloomer. 

"Yes,  but  why?" 

"For  treason." 

"For  treason  against  whom?" 

"Treason  against  Established  Rule." 


214  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

*'But  rules  and  regulations  ever  change,  don't 
they?" 

"Yes,  and  the  change  is  always  accompanied  by 
more  or  less  of  commotion — now  it  is  more.  Come, 
let  us  attend  the  trial ;  it  is  set  for  to-day." 

They  arrived  in  time  to  hear  the  prosecutor  de- 
claim against  their  friend: 

"There  is  no  question  about  the  accused  having 
disturbed  the  peace  by  inveighing  against  the  estab- 
lished rule.  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  if  the  counsel  for 
defense  will  tell  you  about  his  client's  good  intentions, 
remember  that  not  only  is  hell  paved  with  the  iden- 
tical stuff,  but  a  score  of  battlefields  are  strewn  with 
dead  and  the  crippled  every  day  by  the  same  token. 
If  he  tells  you  that  his  client  was  or  is  not  under- 
stood, remember  that  obscurantism  by  itself  is  a 
crime;  and  if  he  appeals  to  your  sense  of  mercy, 
remember  that  this  boon  of  compassion  must  not  be 
wasted  on  agitators  against  the  established  rule,  least 
of  all  on  one  who  even  now  is  standing  before  you 
with  a  smile  of  defiance  on  his  lips. 

"As  a  servant  of  the  people,  sworn  to  protect  and 
uphold  the  public  peace,  I  demand  a  verdict  of  guilty, 
and  that  the  culprit  John  Doe  Thought  shall,  accord- 
ing to  our  penal  code,  be  smothered  in  obli^'ion." 

John  Doe  Thought  did  smile  defiantly.  His 
strength  to  do  so  came  from  a  pair  of  shining  eyes, 
from  the  eyes  of  his  own  Love,  who  gazed  at  him 
steadily  as  with  a  pair  of  heavenly  blue  stars.  For 
him  to  die  then  and  there  would  have  been  a  glorious 
ending;  but  it  was  not  to  be  so. 

Counsel  for  the  Defense  was  not  the  one  to  save 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  215 

him,  though  the  lawyer  put  forth  a  strong  and  elo- 
quent appeal. 

"Look  through  history,"  the  lawyer  pleaded,  "and 
you  will  see  at  every  turn  of  the  long  tortuous  route 
a  John  Doe  Thought  or  a  Jane  Doe  Thought  hold- 
ing forth  a  new  light  to  save  mankind  from  the  pit- 
falls of  darkness  and  from  the  corruption  of  degen- 
eracy. Whether  it  be  Socrates  the  great  Grecian 
sage,  Jesus  the  Nazarene,  John  Huss  the  Bohemian, 
Margaret  Sanger  of  New  York  or  simply  John  Doe 
Thought  from  the  state  of  Head,  they  all  are  torch- 
bearers  of  human  advancement;  why  should  you, 
chosen  representatives  of  the  social  conscience,  help 
a  groping  world  in  its  scramble  to  destroy  them.^ 

"As  to  the  law,  why  not  give  discretion  a  larger 
share  of  responsibility.?  Put  eyes  into  your  statute 
books  so  that  you  may  differentiate  between  those 
who  lead  society  onward  on  the  road  of  civilization 
and  those  who  would  drag  it  back  to  savagery.  I 
ask,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  that  you  find  for  right 
despite  an  unjust  law." 

After  the  usual  rejoinders  the  jury  was  admon- 
ished by  the  judge  as  follows: 

"We  are  not  here  to  make  laws  but  to  maintain 
them  ;  and  most  important  is  it  that  we  should.  Even 
those  who  speak  flippantly  about  the  law  can  do  so 
only  because  they  are  under  its  protection.  True, 
the  rules  and  laws  of  to-day  are  but  the  predominant 
notions  of  yesterday,  but  this  fact  only  teaches  that 
we  should  not  set  up  stumbling  blocks  in  the  way  of 
to-morrow.  The  life  of  Society  must  never  be  jeop- 
ardized. Those  who  choose  to  go  forth  as  pioneers 
must  do  so  at  their  own  peril." 


216  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

John  Doe  Thought  was  not  affected  by  the  adverse 
influence  of  the  judge's  charge.  The  light  from  the 
eyes  of  his  own  Love  was  still  upon  him,  and  in  that 
light  the  entire  court  setting  seemed  like  a  stage  play 
arranged  by  fond  parents  to  while  away  the  time  of 
unruly  children ;  and  the  officials  round  about  him, 
prosecutor,  judge  and  jury,  appeared  like  soulless 
marionettes  whose  movements  were  directed  through 
invisible  wires  connected  with  the  mouldering  bones 
of  a  time  dead  and  gone. 

After  a  while  the  jury  returned  to  report  its  find- 
ing, and  their  foreman  proceeded  to  announce:  "We 
find  John  Doe  Thought  guilt " 

The  sentence  was  cut  short  by  several  detonations 
followed  by  a  whirl  of  things  in  the  air.  Several 
bombs  exploded  in  the  courtroom  though  not  of  the 
murderous  sort.  None  the  less,  the  officials  were 
frightened  to  death  and  they  toppled  over  like  bees 
from  the  whiff  of  smoke.  On  coming  to,  they  found 
themselves  snowed  under  by  booklets  explaining  and 
advocating  the  new  light.  Rising  to  their  feet,  the 
officials  scanned  the  print,  and  horror  of  horrors ! 
this  was  the  worst  offence  of  all,  for  the  leaflet  was 
beset  with  all  the  vices  known  to  an  English  profes- 
sorial chair.  There  was  a  misplaced  comma,  an 
inaccurate  word,  faulty  syntax,  untimely  archaism, 
improper  paragraphing,  barbarism,  cacophony,  pa- 
ronomasia, tautology  and  all  the  rest.  It  made  the 
prosecutor's  heart  jump  in  desperation  and  the  hair 
of  the  judge  stood  on  end.  But  all  they  could  do 
was  to  set  a  prize  for  the  capture  of  John  Doe 
Thought,  who  had  disappeared  from  the  prisoner's 
pen. 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  217 

For  the  second  time  his  own  Love  saved  this  apostle 
of  a  new  light.  When  the  turmoil  and  confusion  ran 
highest  in  the  courtroom  she  came  to  him,  smiling  like 
the  picture  of  Mona  Lisa — smiling  in  satisfaction, 
hope  and  achievement — took  hold  of  his  arm  and  led 
him  to  safety. 

In  the  home  of  a  nearby  friend  they  found  shelter 
and  there  they  talked  over  the  day's  happening. 

"How  could  you  do  it?"  he  asked  in  astonishment. 

"Bloomer  helped  me  all  the  way  through.  As  soon 
as  we  learned  that  they  confiscated  your  book  and 
put  you  in  prison  we  started  to  work  out  a  plan  that 
would  free  both  you  and  your  spirit  as  given  in  your 
book.  Gunpowder  is  expensive  now,  but  we  managed 
to  buy  sufficient  for  shooting  a  few  lawyers  into  a 
fright." 

"But  how  about  the  books.?" 

"Of  course  I  saved  the  manuscript  you  sent  me, 
and  gave  them  to  Bloomer,  who  had  a  printer — for 
heaven's  sake,  John,  what  is  the  trouble.?" 

He  turned  white  and  blue  trying  to  stammer  a  few 
words,  but  his  tongue  refused  to  serve  and  he  re- 
mained speechless,  as  if  stricken  dumb  by  an  over- 
whelming calamity. 

He  could  see  her  tremble  in  sympathy;  this 
brought  the  last  ounce  of  reserve  strength  to  his  lips. 
"The  gods  are  against  us,"  he  murmured,  "it  is  all 
over  with  me." 

She  stroked  his  head  caressingly.  "No,"  she  said, 
"the  powers  beyond  do  not  meddle  in  bagatelle  af- 
fairs. We  are  masters  of  our  own  destiny;  tell  me 
the  cause  of  your  desperation  and  I  will  find  a  way 
to  clear  it  from  your  path," 


218  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"I  did  not  take  time  to  correct  the  copies  which 
I  sent  you  and  they  contain  a  swarm  of  mistakes." 

"She  laughed  out  loud  and  the  silvery  peal  of  her 
voice  dispelled  the  clouds  from  off  his  brow.  "Never 
mind  the  little  faults  in  the  print,"  she  said  light- 
heartedly.  "We  had  some  trouble  about  it,  for  doc- 
tors disagreed  about  the  admissibility  of  some  phrases 
and  now  they  may  keep  on  disagreeing.  Bloomer  was 
bound  to  have  the  books  ready  for  the  time  of  bom- 
bardment. And  you  had  better  commit  all  the  of- 
fences known  to  the  grammatical  calendar,  in  stating 
your  message,  than  grind  out,  as  many  do,  a  score  of 
polished  books  with  nothing  to  say.  There  is  more 
time  ahead " 

"Yes,"  he  put  in,  "and  more  energy  to  push  on." 

He  rose  to  go,  and  Love,  realizing  that  he  could 
never  be  happy  until  his  work  was  done,  allowed  him 
to  leave. 

"Fare  thee  well!"  she  exclaimed  with  a  tremor  in 
her  voice,  "and  —  take  care  of  yourself  —  for  my 
sake!" 

He  promised  to  do  so.  What  would  not  a  man 
promise  in  the  hour  of  parting  when  lumps  in  the 
throat  choke  off  further  argument.'^  They  embraced 
again  and  again.  Finally,  assuring  her  that  he  would 
be  cautious  as  well  as  full  of  courage,  he  left  to  enter 
upon  another  adventurous  journey. 

He  traveled  but  a  short  while  before  an  intelligent- 
looking  assemblage  so  attracted  his  attention  that  he 
stopped  to  make  sure  of  his  plans  and  to  see  if  they 
could  not  be  promoted  through  the  agency  of  such 
a  conspicuous  gathering. 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  219 

Coming  closer,  our  hero  saw  a  conglomeration  of 
men  and  women,  young  and  old,  tall  and  short,  fat 
and  lean,  some  comely,  some  homely,  but  the  face  of 
each  reflecting  an  intensity  of  mental  effort.  Just 
then  they  squatted  leisurely  in  a  pleasant  grotto 
shaded  by  the  sweet-scented  needle-foliage  of  stately 
firs  and  pines.  A  few,  though  evidently  belonging  to 
the  company,  were  scattered  farther  in  the  woodland. 
He  accosted  one  of  these. 

"Good-day,  sir !  You  belong  to  the  group  in  yon- 
der valley,  don't  you.?" 

"Yes,  of  course,"  was  the  answer,  "can  I  be  of  any 
service  to  you.?" 

"They  seem  to  have  a  delightful  time.  May  I 
know  the  nature  and  object  of  your  society?" 

"They  seem  to  have  a  fine  time  and  that  is  as  much 
as  most  of  them  can  manage  to  attain " 

"Would  you  be  so  kind  as  to  explain.?" 

"Why,  yes,  gladly.  This  is  a  convention  of  lit- 
erateurs " 

"What!  real  journalists,  writers,  authors.?" 

"Quite  real,  no  others  are  admitted." 

"And  what  are  you  discussing.?  I  wonder  what 
you  are  deliberating  upon.?" 

"It  is  no  secret.     Here  is  the  program,  see." 

The  broad  trunk  of  an  uprooted  tree  lying  across 
a  hillock  offered  comfortable  seats.  Both  accepted 
the  mute  invitation  and  John  Doe  Thought  read 
eagerly  the  slip  of  paper  held  in  view  by  his  com- 
panion. 

Whatever  the  convention  might  or  might  not  ac- 
complish, there  certainly  was  enough  subject-matter 


220  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

for  discussion.  Our  hero  read  the  program  over  and 
over  again : 

Literary  Market  —  Basic  Law  of  Fashionable- 
ness — Making  the  Pen  Pay — Motivation  of  Period- 
icals— The  Gold  Standard  of  Literary  Excellence — 
Proper  Regard  for  the  Common  Herd — Who  Pays 
the  Bill  and  Why?  —  Exchange  Value  of  Anticipa- 
tion— The  Value  of  Post-Mortem  Laurels — Material 
Yield  of  Practicality — Pickings  on  the  Road  of  Ele- 
vation— Marking  Time  for  Amusement — The  Exact 
Space  on  the  Top  Rung  of  the  Ladder — The  Down- 
fall of  Uplift — In  the  Linguistic  Labyrinth — How  to 
Live  on  Expectations — Mental  Efficiency  Measured 
by  Precious  Metals — Chasing  the  Rainbow  of  Style. 

"You  seem  to  be  interested,"  remarked  the  owner 
of  the  program. 

"I  am,  intensely,  vitally  interested.  Are  you  one  of 
the  delegates.?" 

"Yes,  I  am." 

"From  what  state  .f^" 

"From  the  State  of  Level  Head." 

"Oh,  how  fortunate  I  am  to  meet  you !  I  intend  to 
pay  an  official  visit  to  your  state,  as  indeed  I  must 
visit  all  the  others,  too." 

"Perhaps  you  had  better  unload  your  mind  before 
this  convention,"  said  the  delegate  laughingly. 

The  other  clutched  the  idea  with  the  eagerness  of 
an  imprisoned  soul  getting  hold  of  liberty. 

"Oh,  precious  brother  mine !"  he  exclaimed,  "really, 
if  that  were  possible " 

"It  all  depends  on  the  purpose  of  your  errand." 
The  speaker  lowered  his  voice  as  he  continued :  "If  it 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  221 

flatters  and  helps  the  Powers  That  Be,  none  will  ob- 
ject to  you  being  heard,  but " 

"I  have  a  request  to  make  or  a  proposition  to  offer 
regarding  a  light  of  my  invention  and  the  harnessing 
in  its  behalf  of  the  River  of  Will." 

At  this  statement  a  crouching  figure  ran  off  from 
behind  the  hillock  to  the  grotto  and  told  the  people 
there  what  he  had  overheard.  He  was  a  "cub"  re- 
porter and,  of  course,  felt  much  elated  over  this  first 
"scoop"  of  his  promised  career. 

"You  must  know,"  answered  the  delegate  from  the 
State  of  Level  Head,  after  a  pause,  "that  our  associa- 
tions have  a  controlling  influence  in  their  respective 
states." 

"That  is  so.  And  do  you  think  you  could  get  for 
me  the  privilege  of  addressing  your  body,  just  a  few 
minutes .''" 

"Hardly.  I  am  not  on  the  directorate.  It  is  un- 
wise to  commend  something  that  might  rub  too  hard 
against  their  grain.  But  go  ahead,  find  a  way  of 
your  own  to  broach  the  subject." 

"I  will,"  declared  John  Doe  Thought.  He  ad- 
vanced to  the  group  which  still  lounged  in  siesta,  and, 
inspired  by  his  great  opportunity  as  much  as  by  his 
youthful  enthusiasm,  he  burst  out  in  a  song: 

"Glory  to  men  and  their  name,  whose  power  and  beauty 

and  fame 
Leastwise  diminishes  ill.     Brave  knights  of  the  valorous 

quill, 
Oh,  grant  me  the  River  of  Will  for  turning  the  wheels 

of  the  mill 
That  grindeth  the  life-giving  grain  of  mutual  profit  and 

gain. 


222  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Oh,  grant  me  the  River  of  Will  to  liberate  hearts  that 

are  still 
In  the  yoke  of  sorrow  and  pain  for  lack  of  the  very 

same  grain — 
For  clearing  off  sources  of  blame,  for  raising  the  average 

aim 
This  world  with  pleasure  to  fill,  oh,  grant  me  the  River 

of  Will." 

The  delegate  from  the  State  of  Level  Head  did  not 
pay  much  attention  to  the  song,  instead  he  watched 
intently  its  effect  upon  his  confreres.  First  they  were 
startled,  then  annoyed  to  a  noticeable  degree.  When 
the  voice  fell,  they  remarked  it  was  dull  business; 
when  the  notes  came  high  and  in  full  volume,  they 
plugged  their  ears.  Towards  the  end  they  protested 
violently  against  the  intrusion.  The  singer  had 
scarcely  finished  when  his  audience  turned  mob,  firing 
at  him  jeers  and  catcalls  of  all  sorts.  "Chase  your- 
self!" they  cried,  and  as  he  did  not  depart  with  suffi- 
cient alacrity  they  all  joined  in  the  chase,  throwing 
sticks,  stones  and  half-hatched  eggs  at  their  fleeing 
victim.  However,  he  reached  the  safe  fields  of  his 
own  state.  Having  his  pursuers  at  bay,  he  stopped 
to  regain  his  breath.  Much  to  his  vexation  and  won- 
derment, he  heard  the  entire  band  loudly  resolve  on 
vengeance.  "Vengeance^  "Vengeance!"  "VEN- 
GEANCE !"  they  cried.  Who  could  tell  the  why  or 
how  of  it.''  Not  our  hero.  He  returned  home  mauled 
and  battered,  his  eyes  dim  from  dust,  his  head  hang- 
ing in  disappointment. 

Love,  however,  received  him  with  open  arms. 
"Never  mind!"  she  said.  "You  are  right,  and  you 
will  triumph  over  them  all !"     She  embraced  him  with 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  223 

an  electrifying  caress  that  set  his  blood  a-tingling  and 
steeled  his  heart  against  the  attacks  of  unreasonable 
enemies. 

Then  John  Doe  Thought  felt  that  he  was  bound  to 
succeed.  "Yes,"  he  declared,  "I  must,  to  be  worthy 
of  you.  I  must  gain  my  object  or  be  lost  in  the 
battle  for  it.     Either  or " 

Soon  his  sores  were  healed,  and  with  increased  de- 
termination he  set  out  for  his  goal. 

"Luck  be  with  you,"  said  Love  in  parting,  "but 
do  not  depend  on  it  too  much.  I  can  see  no  fault  in 
you,  still  there  may  have  been  something  wrong  with 
your  appearance.  Perhaps  it  were  best,  before  you 
leave  the  state,  to  consult  once  again  Bookman  the 
Schoolmaster,  and,  dear,  do  go  to  see  Professor  High- 
sound,  the  great  style  specialist." 

"I  will,"  he  declared,  and  Love  kissed  him  with  a 
warmth  that  compensated  for  past  trials  and  future 
tribulations  as  well. 

The  Schoolmaster  received  him  with  a  laugh. 
"Good  boy!"  he  said.  "Little  things  like  that  must 
not  discourage  you.  Go  at  it  again.  Why,  you  are 
not  any  the  worse  for  your  experience,  are  you.^^" 

"No,  but  confound  it,  there  was  nothing  pleasant 
to  record.  What  could  have  been  the  matter  with  me 
to  bring  on  such  a  catastrophe.?" 

"Lack  of  style,  my  boy,  lack  of  style." 

"But  what  do  you  mean  by  style?  It  has  grown 
into  a  bugaboo  that  does  not  let  me  sleep  of  nights. 
Tell  me,  master,  what  it  is,  and  I  shall  be  obliged  to 
you  for  ever." 

"Style,  my  boy,  consists  in  expressing  yourself 
clearly,  forcefully  and  in  a  cultured,  elegant  manner." 


224  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

John  Doe  Thought  emitted  a  deep  sigh.  "Ah,  but 
I  am  going  contrary  to  established  rules !  If  I  speak 
clearly,  I  will  be  tarred  and  feathered ;  if  I  speak 
forcefully,  I  will  be  cast  into  a  dungeon,  and  if  my 
expression  lacks  both  clearness  and  force  how  can  I 
give  it  the  charm  of  elegance?" 

"Yours  is  not  an  easy  task,"  admitted  the  teacher ; 
"the  time  comes  when  a  pupil  must  add  something  to 
what  his  teacher  can  give  him.  In  regard  to  the  sub- 
ject under  consideration,  all  I  can  say  is  this:  As  the 
proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the  eating,  so  the  proof 
of  style  is  in  its  being  accepted  in  polite  society.  If 
it  is,  it  is;  if  it  is  not,  it  isn't;  you  see?" 

Not  much  wiser  but  no  less  determined  to  advance 
his  project,  our  hero  entered  the  famous  and  unique 
studio  of  Professor  Highsound.  Here  he  was  asked  to 
stand  between  the  swinging  wings  of  a  large  triplicate 
mirror.  "Styles,"  declared  the  professor,  "be  they 
in  speaking,  writing,  painting,  plasmature,  dressing 
or  deportment,  always  permit  of  improvement  or — a 
change  which  may  be  sufficient  to  attain  success." 

"What  is  wrong  about  me?"  asked  John  Doe 
Thought,  who  came  for  help  and  special  information 
rather  than  to  hear  a  general  discourse. 

"Preceding  to  the  rendition  of  my  diagnosis,  please 
examine  yourself.  A  candid  statement  of  your  find- 
ings will  assist  me  in  estimating  your  power  of  ob- 
servation and  your  need  of  external  advice." 

For  the  first  time  John  Doe  Thought  looked  him- 
self in  the  face  and  also  in  the  back  at  the  same  time. 
The  picture  he  saw  evoked  conflicting  emotions.  He 
was  well  satisfied  with  the  robust  figure  and  upright 
bearing,  and  much  displeased  with  some  specks  on 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  225 

the  face  and  uncalled-for,  unsymmetrical  folds  in  his 
garments. 

"Do  you  suppose  that  a  little  blemish  like  that  or 
a  wrinkle  like  this  caused  my  being  treated  so  dis- 
courteously?" 

"Beyond  a  doubt.  Persons  having  any  concern  for 
style  must  give  punctilious  attention  to  sartorial  and 
dermatological  requirements.  In  fact,  these  are  re- 
garded as  duties,  second  only  to  the  most  primitive 
cleansing  obligations.  In  painting,  color  must  be  ac- 
companied by  contour,  in  plastic  art  the  moulding 
hand  shapes  form  with  design,  in  linguistic  composi- 
tion clearness  and  neatness  is  related  to  proper  spell- 
ing and " 

•'Is  that  all  I  have  to  overcome.?" 

"Scarcely  the  beginning,  if  the  scope  of  your  in- 
tention lies  beyond  stale  mediocrity.  Look,  this  five- 
foot  shelf  supports  nothing  but  books  on  composi- 
tion. Do  you  desire  to  know  the  quintessence  of  them 
all.?" 

"Please  teU  me." 

"Summarized,  all  their  contentions  merely  demand 
that  you  pour  the  contents  of  a  large  thesaurus,  in 
accordance  with  rules  and  specifications  given,  into 
molds  supplied  by  caterers  to  public  taste." 

"And  what  is  your  dope?" 

"What?" 

"I  mean  what  is  your  recommendation?" 

"That  is  contingent  on  the  motive,  purpose,  object 
and  aim  to  be  considered,  served,  supported  and 
attained." 

The  client  stated  his  case  fully  and  frankly. 

Professor  Highsound  pondered  awhile,  then  asked : 


226  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"Have  jou  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  psycholog- 
ical processes  going  on  in  the  several  states?" 

"How  could  I?  Besides,  I  have  a  mission  to  fulfil 
regardless  of  unfavorable  conditions." 

"So,  so.  But  adverse  psychology  often  may  be 
turned  to  good  account.  You  must  study  them  as 
water  currents  are  studied  by  a  captain  of  a  ship 
and  respect  them  as  aviators  respect  the  pressures 
of  the  air.  Oh,  yes,  I  may  offer  some  suggestions. 
Please  name  the  several  states  on  your  itinerary." 

"Well,  they  are  the  good  states  of  Sleepy  Head, 
Soft  Head,  Hard  Head,  Curlhead,  Bald  Head, 
Learned  Head,  Thick  Head,  Level  Head,  Swellhead, 
Sheepshead,  Sore  Head,  Hothead,  Copperhead,  Wise 
Head,  Long  Head,  Bull  Head,  Bill  Head,  Hogshead, 
Bone  Head,  Cabbage  Head  and  a  few  others." 

Professor  Highsound  began  to  massage  the  right 
temple  of  his  forehead.  He  made  a  few  trips  around 
the  studio  and  stopped  before  a  large  gilt-framed 
fashion  plate. 

"Look  at  this  picture,  sir,  its  lesson  may  unlock  for 
you  some  stubborn  doors.  Comprehend,  you  must 
appear  at  all  times  not  only  well  groomed  but  also 
dressed  for  the  occasion.  Several  sack  suits  will 
serve  for  everyday  business ;  to  be  welcomed  at  an 
afternoon  tea  you  must  display  the  graceful  lines  of 
a  dinner  coat.  At  political  meetings  the  frock  coat 
and  high  hat  are  most  appropriate ;  for  a  stroll 
in  the  park,  don  the  English  walking  coat;  yacht- 
ing, hunting,  even  clamming,  demands  special  attire; 
at  golfing  it  is  almost  a  legal  requirement  to  appear 
in  the  ornamental  Norfolk  jacket;  a  society  ball 
calls  for  the  full  dress  suit ;  in  a  gathering  of  philoso- 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  227 

phers  the  Prince  Albert  coat  is  being  looked  up  to, 
and  so  all  along  your  travels,  at  every  station  you 
must  appear  in  the  garb  considered  good  form  there. 
Even  at  a  session  of  Free  Lancers  you  will  not 
be  admitted  in  the  prize-winning  habiliments  of 
the   French   masquerade.      Now   then   in   regard   to 

those  states " 

"But  man  alive! " 


"Professor  Highsound,  if  you  please." 
"Well,  Professor,  I  do  not  want  to  tie  myself  to 
any  one  small  coterie  of  manikins,  and  I  do  not  want 
to  spend  my  life  changing  clothes.  I  am  John  Doe 
Thought  and  refuse  to  become  a  mere  dummy  for 
the  exhibition  of  what  divers  people  are  used  to 
consider  as  glad  rags !" 

"Youth  is  terribly  impractical!  Look  into  this 
wardrobe.  Here  is  a  lady's  cloak  with  buttonholes 
in  the  left  front  and  here  is  a  Chesterfield  buttoning 
from  right  to  left.  Observe  the  excellent  workman- 
ship and  the  fine  material;  yet  no  one  would  have 
them  as  a  gift.  No  one  would  care  or  dare  to  wear 
them  because  of  the  reversion  of  custom  involved. 
See  that  picture?  It  is  a  beautiful  oil  painting  done 
with  masterly  skill,  but  none  would  have  it  for  the 
keeping  on  the  wall.  Why.?  Because  the  impulsive 
youth  of  an  artist,  after  painting  a  fine  pastoral 
scene,  daubed  some  flying  machines  up  in  the  clouds, 
thereby  spoiling  the  canvas. 

"Surely  machines  do  fly  above  pastoral  scenes." 
"But  style  is  not  in  the  lens  of  a  camera.     That 
is   a   matter   of  like  and   dislike;   you   must   supply 
what  people  are  accustomed  to  enjoy." 

"That  is  all  very  well,  but  I  have  a  project  to  which 


228  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

others  are  not  used.  Suppose  I  want  to  establish 
a  new  custom  or  change  an  old  one?" 

"Then,  sir,  you  should  consult  an  expert  alienist." 

"Perhaps  we  should." 

"Should  we.?"  The  right-hand  fingers  of  Profes- 
sor Highsound  began  to  drum  the  air.  He  bowed  in 
an  over-polite  manner,  then  stretching  forth  his  palm 
demanded  curtly,  "Two  hundred  bucks !" 

John  Doe  Thought  paid  the  fee  feeling  that  he 
had  received  his  money's  worth.  Now,  that  success 
meant  life  and  failure  meant  death  to  him,  the  least 
helpful  hint  had  high  value.  He  accepted  help  from 
every  quarter  and  after  due  preparation  went  forth 
again  on  his  mission;  this  time  in  company  with 
Young  Ambition  and  Old  Man  Work. 

They  wandered  from  state  to  state,  John  Doe 
Thought  scrupulously  observing  the  proprieties  of 
appearance,  Young  Ambition  pulling  on  like  a  pranc- 
ing steed  and  Old  Man  Work  attending  to  drudgery 
like  a  beaver. 

At  the  gates  of  every  capitol  John  Doe  Thought 
made  an  oral  plea  which  was  received  with  a  less  or 
more  negative  demonstration  by  the  outer  guards. 
In  each  case  he  had  a  petition  ready  couched  in  suit- 
able language.  This  he  sent  on  to  the  legislature 
then  in  session.  At  each  place  the  messenger  re- 
turned, shook  his  or  her  head  negatively,  at  the  same 
time  presenting  a  sealed  envelope  that  held  a  written 
answer. 

He  dared  not  open  the  letters  for  fear  that  dis- 
couragement would  put  an  end  to  the  journey  before 
he  had  tried  his  best  with  all  the  states  on  his  list. 
Even  so  they  nearly  unnerved  him.    Young  Ambition 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  229 

died  of  a  broken  heart,  and  Old  Man  Work  fell 
prostrate  from  over-exertion  long  before  the  last  of 
the  objectives  had  been  reached.  But  John  Doe 
Thought  marched  on,  on  and  on  to  the  last  state  he 
was  bound  to  address.  As  the  net  result  of  it  all 
his  pockets  were  bulging  with  the  formal  declinations 
received.  Now  he  had  at  least  thirty  documents  to 
show  for  his  pains  or  perhaps  to  give  him  more.  Sad 
and  downhearted  he  wandered  up  the  acclivity  of  a 
mountain,  the  top  of  which  seemed  to  offer  much- 
needed  privacy  for  finding  out  the  cause  of  his  fail- 
ure, also  undisturbed  solicitude  for  ending  his  career 
if  in  desperation  he  must  die.  Again  and  again  he 
scrutinized  his  efforts.  Was  there  still  something 
wrong  with  his  appearance  or  was  this  conspiracy  of 
refusal  a  matter  of  spite  and  vengeance  in  retaliation 
for  his  former  impetuous  attempt? 

On  the  top  of  the  mountain  he  found  a  clearing 
edged  by  a  rock  that  reached  vertically  far  down  into 
the  sea.  Round  about  all  was  quiet,  not  a  rustle  of 
a  leaf,  not  a  ripple  of  a  wave,  and  no  sign  of  human 
beings  visible,  except  a  boat  here  and  there,  one  of 
which  moved  near  the  rock  below. 

He  settled  down  on  the  clearing,  opened  the  letters 
and  placed  them  one  alongside  the  other  to  behold 
their  appearance  in  the  mass.  He  could  see  no  spite 
work,  but  vengeance  was  there!  Every  one  of  the 
answers  was  written  in  verse!  For  the  possible  in- 
eptitude or  untimeliness  of  one  little  song  he  was 
overwhelmed  with  thirty  rhymes  ! ! !  A  lump  of  bitter- 
sweet emotion  played  on  his  throat  while  his  hands 
gathered  up  the  documents.  He  threw  the  envelopes 
over  the  rock  into  the  sea,  then  reclining  in  a  com- 


230  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

fortable  position  he  read  the  rhymed  messages.  With 
feelings  that  can  be  better  imagined  than  described, 
he  read  them  all  in  the  order  here  presented : 

1 

STATE   OF   SLEEPY  HEAD 

This  state  detests  the  cutest  bore, 

Be  social,  friend,  and,  like  us — snore. 

2 

STATE   OF  SOFT   HEAD 

Indisposed  for  fear  our  wit 
Receive  a  jolt  and  get  a  fit. 

3 

STATE  OF  HARD  HEAD 

We  do  not  care  for  Mr.  Bothers 
Until  we  shall  have  heard  from  others. 

4 

STATE    OF    STONE    HEAD 

Apologies,  regrets  for  our  stand; 
But  really,  sir,  we  do  not  understand. 

5 

STATE  OF   CURL  HEAD 

Oh,  pshaw!  Keep  off,  you  silly  thing 
Of  long-faced  prig — Unless  you  bring 
The  handsome  beau  with  diamond  ring. 

6 

STATE   OF  BALD   HEAD 

We  are  tired  of  all  this  whirl  and  swirl. 
Oh,  bring  us  Pearl,  the  chorus  girl. 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  231 

7 

STATE   OF    LEARNED   HEAD 

Dear  sir,  you  took  us  unawares, 
Just  now  we  are  busy  splitting  hairs. 

8 

STATE   OF    THICK   HEAD 

Ideas  take  a  nasty  way  to  drum 

And  beat  upon  the  inner  cranium — 

We  much  prefer  the  somnolentic  hum 

Of  cradle  songs  Old  Grandma  used  to  sing, 

If  that  proves  insufficient  for  to  bring 

Our  daily  sleep — we  take  a  little  rum. 

9 

STATE   OF  NORMAL  HEAD 

We  do  not  know  what  you  are  after 

But  what's  the  proof  you'll  be  no  grafter  .?* 

10 

STATE    OF    LEVEL    HEAD 

There  may  be  something  in  your  plea 
But  we  prefer  to  wait  and  see. 

11 

STATE  OF  SWELLHEAD 

For  arguments  we  have  no  call 
Nor  use,  nor  place — we  know  it  all. 

12 

STATE   OF    SHEEPSHEAD 

The  largest  flock  of  old  or  new 
If  you  will  lead  we'll  follow  you. 


232  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

13 

STATE   OF   SORE  HEAD 

You  do  not  sound  the  yell  that  mates 
Our  special  cry,  so — go  to  Hades. 

14 

STATE   OF   HOTHEAD 

We'd  rather  leap  out  in  the  dark 
Than  hear  a  dog  of  a  stranger  bark. 

15 

STATE    OF    COPPERHEAD 

Go,  let  your  state  keep  Socrates 
We  hold  for  best  just  that  which  is. 

16 

STATE   OF    CROWNED   HEAD 

The  great  River  of  Will  was  embedded  and  still 
Must  flow  to  embower  our  glory  and  power. 
Whoso  in  rebellious  fit,  divert  but  a  drop  of  it 
Shall  pay  with  his  life  for  it,  if  we  can  but  get  at  it- 
Down  in  a  Bastile  pit  or  up  in  a  Tower. 

17 

STATE  OF   BULL  HEAD 

No  more  of  it ;  sufficient  said 
You  better  run,  for  we  see  red. 

18 

STATE  OF  ADDLEHEAD 

Leave  us  in  peace  and  stop  alarming. 
We  absolutely  do  not  desire 
That  any  one  set  crystals  sparkling 
Where  we  now  have  a  lovely  mire. 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  233 

19 

STATE   OF   HOGSHEAD 


What?    Dare  any  entertain  a  notion 
That  did  not  start  by  our  motion 
For  our  credit  and  promotion? 
He  should  be  fed  a  fatal  potion 
Of  disheartening  emotion. 


20 

STATE  OF  BLOCKHEAD 


We  would  not  disturb  a  tranquil  existence 
That  joyously  waits  and  hopefully  glistens 
In  anticipation  of  free  beer  and  cheese, 
Go  tell  your  troubles  to  the  corner  police. 


21 

STATE    OF   BONEHEAD 

Whoever  has  a  real  good  proposition 
Must  find  attractive  ways  and  means  to  broach  it; 
When  yours  will  grow  so  charming  in  addition 
That  no  one  can  withstand.   .   .   .  We  may  approach 
it. 

22 

STATE   or   WISE   HEAD 

Our  people  being  at  peace,  why  set  them  aflurry? 
Seeing  by  some  better  light,  why  should  you  worry? 
Doing  but  what  can  be  done,  why  should  we  hurry? 


234  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

23 

STATE  OF  LONG  HEAD 

Not  that  we  disregard  the  proverbial  rainy  day 

But  why  should  we  buckle  to  work  what  is  yet  in  the 
stage  of  play? 

Proceed  on  your  errand,  O  knight,  with  courage  un- 
daunted, and  may 

You  mould  into  lovelier  shape  the  average  vessels  of 
clay — 

24 

STATE  OF   CHUCKLEHEAD 

Your  precious  breath  is  vainly  plighted 
Why  knock  where  you  are  not  invited? 
Why  be  a  loafer?  'Twere  better  maybe 
You  stayed  at  home  to  mind  the  baby. 

25 

STATE   OF   Bll-Ii   HEAD 

That  uplift  stuff  is  sure  astounding ! 
Make  money  first  of  worth-while  sounding; 
Then  would  we  smile  on  you  with  pleasure 
Instead  of  looking  cross  and  frowning. 

26 

STATE    OF    CABBAGE   HEAD 

This  state  has  grown  for  mouths  to  feed 
Let  others  chew  the  noble  deed. 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  235 

27 

STATE    OF    BUSINESS    HEAD 

What  is  the  use  of  all  the  senseless  rattle? 
What  for,  waste  time  in  useless,  childish  prattle 
When  everyone  of  any  sort  of  mettle 
Must  know  that  life  is  a  continuous  battle 
Which  all  the  suns  in  heavens  cannot  settle. 

Who  wants  more  light  to  fall  upon  his  frowning, 
Embittered  brow?    Or  on  the  hapless  drowning 
Of  one's  firm-pride,  or  glorify  the  crowning 
Of  one's  mean  rival?     Thank  heavens  for  beclouding 
The  life-career  that's  tragical  or  clowning. 

28 

STATE    OF    FINANCIAL    HEAD 

How  can  a  strong  adventurer  and  bold. 
So  capable  of  being  rather  bright. 
Be  quite  so  foolish  as  to  offer  light 
Where  bountifully  shines  the  glow  of  gold? 
With  it  the  social  climber  has  enrolled — 
For  it  the  large  embattled  armies  fight — 
By  it  the  victor's  crown  is  studded  bright — 
Through  it  we  dominate  the  young  and  old. 
Gold  is  the  sun  god  of  the  present  day 
Whose  slightest  wish  the  worshippers  obey, 
From  it  resoundeth  many  a  poet's  lay. 
Time-serving  authors  glory  in  its  spell. 
They  ask  not  "is  it  right?"  but  "Will  it  sell?" 
Ha !    Leave  us  gold  and  take  your  light  to  Hell ! 


236  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

29 

STATE  OF  INDUSTUIAI,  HEAD 

A  better  light !    Too  good  a  light  is  harming, 
We  are  not  anxious  for  efficient  arming 
Of  other  states,  their  power  is  alarming. 

We  must  rise  high  in  order  to  succeed ; 

The  balm  of  alms  is  all  we  care  to  plead 

For  those  who,  tripped  or  slipped,  too  badly  bleed. 

We  must  rise  high  or  be  left  in  the  lurch 

The  farmyard  fowl,  too,  seeks  the  topmost  perch 

And  victors  are  the  pride  of  state  and  church. 

L'envoy ; 

A  better  light !     The  heavens  blight  it 

If  we  cannot  monopolize  it. 

80 

STATE  OF  FIGUREHEAD 

Thanks  for  your  kindly  interest  in  me  and  mine 
But  should  the  topmost  apple  basking  in  the  fine, 
Spacious,  unincumbered   air  question  plans   divine? 
Whatever  shows  up  contrasts  on  the  grange — 
May  also  sally  forth  to  rearrange 
Affairs  and — well — we  don't  want  any  change. 

After  reading  all  these  epistles,  our  hero  felt  down- 
hearted indeed.  The  tardiness  of  time  can  be  offset 
with  the  hope  of  accomplishment,  the  darkness  of 
ignorance  can  be  dissolved  with  light  of  knowledge, 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  237 

the  stony  heart  of  moral  pulchritude  may  be  softened 
by  humane  appeals,  but  what  can  art  or  reason,  or 
both  combined,  do  against  perverted  intelligence? 

John  Doe  Thought  considered  all  of  the  messages 
in  the  light  he  knew  and  loved  so  well.  He  pondered 
over  every  postulate  and  weighed  them  against  one 
another  with  the  result  that  he  felt  sadder  than  ever 
before.  The  trouble  may  have  been  a  lack  of  style 
on  his  part,  but  the  conclusion  forced  itself  upon  him 
that  it  was  rather  a  surplus  of  guile  in  others.  Can 
style  overcome  guile.?  The  more  he  cogitated  on  the 
matter  the  more  hopeless  appeared  his  situation.  He 
watched  the  setting  sun  sink  below  the  horizon. 
When  the  last  fringe  of  its  shining  halo  had  disap- 
peared from  view  he  rose,  seized  by  a  sudden  determi- 
nation. "My  day  is  done,"  he  murmured  and  jumped 
headlong  into  the  deep.   .  .  . 

Strangely  enough  our  hero  did  not  realize  that 
the  epistles  he  had  received  from  the  several  states 
did  not  tell  the  whole  truth  about  the  impression  he 
had  made. 

"We  must  watch  that  fellow,"  resolved  the  state 
of  Learned  Head. 

"He  has  something  to  say,  let  him  ripen  it,"  de- 
clared the  state  of  Level  Head. 

"Resistance  will  sharpen  his  wits,"  chuckled  the 
state  of  Wise  Head. 

"If  he  means  business  he  will  come  again,"  decided 
the  state  of  Hard  Head,  and  so  all  the  states  recorded 
some  sort  of  a  sensation;  even  Sleepy  Head  turned 
over  on  the  other  side  and  Cabbage  Head  reddened  a 
bit. 

However,  when  John  Doe  Thought  jumped  from 


238  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

the  hilltop  they  all  felt  relieved;  some  of  fear,  some 
of  jealousy,  some  of  annoyance  and  some  of  the  hard- 
ship imposed  by  constant  observation.  Out  of  grati- 
tude for  the  unexpected  ease  in  getting  rid  of  a  dis- 
turbing factor,  they  erected  a  granite  monument  on 
the  spot  from  which  John  Doe  Thought  jumped  into 
the  sea.    The  inscription  on  the  stone  told  the  story : 

In  memoriam  of  a  worthy  knight 

Possest  by  notions  for  increasing  light. 

Which  failed  to  work  because  he  tried  to  flute 

A  song  for  ears  too  far  off  by  a  mile. 

He  was  too  strong  and  proud  to  follow  suit 

And  much  too  young  and  frail  to  set  a  style. 

Some  weeks  later  the  granite  block  blazoned  forth 
another  inscription  placed  below  the  first  in  continu- 
ance of  the  tale  as  follows: 

Erected  by  and  for  the  foolish  states 
Rejoicing  in  the  fall  of  John  Doe  Thought 
Who,  yet  alive  and  stronger  grown  by  aught 
He  did  and  heard,  is  knocking  at  their  gates. 

Indeed,  our  hero  was  not  swallowed  up  in  a  watery 
grave.  Instead  he  landed  in  a  spacious  hammock 
securely  stretched  on  the  boat  manoeuvering  near  the 
vertical  rock  from  which  he  jumped  intent  on  sui- 
cide. After  a  few  rebounds  he  found  himself  in  a 
comfortable  reclining  position  with  the  soft  arms  of 
his  faithful  Love  entwining  his  neck.  Her  lips 
curled  for  a  kiss,  but  instead  whispered  in  reproach: 
"Is  that  all  you  care  for  me.'*" 

He  embraced  her  passionately  and  covered  her  with 


JOHN  DOE  THOUGHT  239 

kisses — mouth,  cheeks,  forehead,  and  wherever  his  lips 
could  touch  the  fairy  who  now  for  the  third  time 
had  saved  his  life. 

When  he  regained  his  composure  he  answered  in 
a  subdued  voice,  "I  am  unworthy  of  you.  I  have 
failed  in  my  mission.  None  would  take  me  for  a 
friend,  none  offered  help,  none  would  believe  in  me!" 

"I  do."  She  declared  and  sealed  the  declaration 
with  an  impressive  kiss. 

"That  is  sufficient!"  he  exclaimed  jubilantly. 
Sweet  Love,  thou  art  joy  to  my  body  and  wings  to 
my  soul!  Your  favor  and  support  is  more  than 
enough  to  sustain  me  in  my  work.  Henceforth,  I 
will  hold  my  own  against  them  all." 

He  uttered  his  resolve  with  a  determination  so 
strong  that  a  hundred  states  could  never  break  or 
shake  it. 

Then  there  was  some  more  lovemaking  and  off  they 
sailed  under  a  beautiful  moonlit  star-spangled  sky 
as  happy  as  in  the  first  days  of  their  blissful  honey- 
moon. 

Fortunate  is  the  person  whose  ideal  in  the  perilous 
situations  of  the  mind  is  saved  by  its  better  half,  even 
as  John  Doe  Thought  was  rescued  by  his  faithful 
Love. 


PART    SIX 

CABALS    OF    MONOCRACY 

A  disclosure  of  the  means  of  enslavement  in  com- 
munications tapped  from  and  through  telepathic 
connections  or  what  are  supposed  to  be  such 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY 


God  of  Monocrats,  whose  foremost  prophet  Machia- 

velli  I  adore; 
Thou  great,  single  serving,  double  showing,  tri-ar- 

ticulate  three-fold  trinity 
Composed   of   avarice,   deception   and   violence,   but 

known  as  might,  honor  and  glory; 

Who  enablest  thy  full-fledged  devotees  to  present 

Error  as  Education, 

Through  the  workings  of  presumption,  pretension 
and  prejudice; 

Perplexity  as  Religion, 

Through  misinformation,  misdirection  and  mystifica- 
tion ; 

Oppression  as  Law  and  Order, 

By  means  of  exploitation,  enviousness,  and  rivalry — 

II 

Thou  great  guidance  of  self-centered,  self-engross- 
ing, self-exultant  minds. 

Who  givest  to  thy  circumspect  votaries  precious 
knowledge  of  psychological  alchemy ; 

Whereby  we  can  substitute: 
Imposture  for  Excellence, 

243 


244  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Through   the   agencies    of   mummery,   mimicry   and 

trickery ; 
Cunning  for  Wisdom, 
By   means   of  subtle   scheming,   sense  juggling   and 

social  guile; 
Falsehood  for  Diplomacy, 
Through  the  media  of  dissimulation,  legerdemain  and 

prevarication — 

III 

Oh,  thou  most  powerful  of  deities. 

Who   endowest   thy  loyal   constituents   with   presti- 

digitatorial   skill  to  make   appear: 
Pan-detestation  a  duty  of  patriotism; 
Through  deceptive  accounts,  spurious  oratory  and 

mirages  of  conquest; 
Slaughter  an  act  of  bravery. 
By  manipulating  immolative  allurements, 

insignia  of  pride,  and  special  privileges ; 
Destruction  as  benevolence. 
By  means  of  delusive  charity,  false  prosperity,  and 

cultivated  perversity; 
All  in  the  holy  name  of  civilization — 

Oh,   thou   most   worshipped   and   most   served   great 

God,  single  serving, 
double  showing  threefold  trinity; 
I  affirm  my  faith  in  thee. 
I  pledge  thee  constant  loyal  support  and  immediate 

obedience  to  all  thy  commandments, 
Amen. 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  245 


Milk-faced  boy  in  search  of  understanding, 

I  fain  would  help  you  in  your  worthy  quest ; 

For  I  have  loved  your  grandam  (as  a  maiden, 

Upon  the  threshold  of  maturity), 

When  she  was  all  bloom  and  I  was  all  glowing 

And  adding  to  her  joy  was  my  one  boon. 

The  fates — mere  man  made  fate — drove  us  asunder 

And  led  us  each  to  separate  careers. 

Still,  I  loved  on  to  form  in  memory's  center 

A  sun  of  happiness — that  might  have  been. 

But,  even  so,  the  old  love  keeps  on  warming 

The  crapiped  heart  within  a  scholar's  breast 

(For  while  she  grew  into  a  popular  grand  dame 

I  turned  an  obscure  college  president). 

And  still  I  crave  to  place  choicest  offering 

Upon  the  altars  of  the  olden  flame — 

And  so  sweet  youth  in  search  of  understanding 

To  you  I  address  several  grains  of  truth. 

A  1 

Away  back  in  dim  prehistoric  times. 
The  infancy  of  Earth,  when  that  to  suck 
Was  everything  intelligence  could  do. 
The  craving  of  this  want  took  such  a  hold 
On  certain  hearts  that  grew  thereby  in  might, 
They  could  not  leave  the  habit  even  though 
The  need  for  sucking  past.     And  as  the  Sun 
Of  History  rose  to  shed  its  first  faint  rays 
Upon  the  deeds  and  motives  of  mankind. 
This  habit  would  not  wilt  in  shame,  nor  die ; 
But  gathering  all  the  anger,  spite  and  spleen 


246  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Of  past  experience,  wove  a  cocoon 

Wherein  the  thing  metamorphosed  and  then 

Emerged  a  charming,  gorgeous  butterfly — 

It  still  survives,  in  fancy  colors  it 

Flits  gaudily  about  and  lays  its  eggs 

Wherever  hearts  will  let  the  moth  alight ; 

In  palaces,  in  hovels  and,  also, 

Within  the  marble  halls  of  education.  .  .  . 

You  know  we  must  have  funds  to  carry  on, 

And  in  the  hot  desire  for  support 

The  sucker's  eggs  hatch  out.     So  comes  the  day 

We  seek  professors  who,  if  not  themselves 

Then  through  some  rich  connection  can  supply 

Our  institutions  with  high,  inspirational 

Endowment  funds ;  and  woe  to  him  who  dares 

Offend  our  benefactors  or  the  circle 

Of  potential  donors.     Him  we  expel 

And  cast  away  to  wither  in  disgrace. 

How  can  we  do  it?    All  we  need  to  do 

Is  to  presume  that  that  which  is,  is  right 

Regardless  how  much  living  flesh  is  burned 

And  how  much  soul  is  wasted  (or  much  worse 

Than  wasted)  in  an  aching  world !     Preswme, 

Each  ruler  has  a  right  to  rule  and  all 

Affected  or  afflicted  must  obey; 

Presume  this  much,  then  winkingly  allow 

Young  minds,  while  forming  character,  presume 

That  joy  and  happiness  can  be  attained 

In  no  way  but  by  forging  to  the  fore 

In  service  of  the  system  holding  sway — 

So  runs  the  world  and  so  its  days  are  run. 

Thus  goes  the  chaff  alongside  with  the  wheat 

Into  the  chute  of  life.     Its  mills  grind  on. 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  247 

The  sorting  of  the  two  remains  amongst 
Your  heritages  milk-faced  brave  boy.  .  .   . 

A2 

August,  head  keeper  of  Far  Eastern  shrines, 

Attend  most  diligently  to  thy  great 

Important  mission;  never  to  allow 

Our  own  supporters  turn  to  support 

Foreign  missionaries.     There  is  a  load 

Beyond  the  weight  of  which  most  willing  and 

The  strongest  jinrikisha  cannot  pull. 

Shall  it  be  us  or  they?     The  foreigners 

Brought  praise  upon  their  lips  for  white 

And  scorn  for  yellow,  but  none  the  less  connived 

To  take  our  yellow  gold  in  flat  exchange 

For  their  white  silver,  once  upon  a  time — 

And  still  they  come  from  lands  that  groan 

Under  the  yoke  of  inhumanities. 

And  why?     To  labor  hard?     By  Shinto,  no. 

None  seek  an  education  for  hard  work, 

But  for  the  yield  that  can  be  gained  thereby 

Through  other's  bended  backs  and  aching  joints. 

They  come  to  search  the  soil  and  to  pave 

The  way  for  such  conspired  enterprise 

As  turns  silver  into  gold  for  them — 

And  theirs,  which  we  are  not  nor  want  to  be. 

Observest  thou  their  methods  ?     Manifold 

Are  their  contraptions  to  attain  an  end. 

The  rulers,  over  there,  beyond  the  sea. 

Oft  stoop  to  measures  low,  undignified; 

At  cost  of  effort  nigh  akin  to  work. 

They  claim  to  want  a  thing  while  bent  to  bring 

About  another ;  which  is  foolery 


248  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Fit  for  plebeians,  lowness   I  disdain. 

I  merely  have  to  claim  relationship 

To  God,  and  by  the  wondrous  strength  of  this 

Simple  pretense,  I  have  it  in  my  power 

To  lord  it  over  all  the  seven  clans 

In  several  thousand  islands  nestling  on 

The  ocean's  lengthy  shore.     But  thou  must  do 

Thy  part !     Proclaim  before  the  pilgrims  who, 

With  souls  aweary,  come  unto  our  shrines 

To  find  succor,  that  I  am  of  divine 

Mould,  born  for  the  emperor's  office 

With  superior  powers,  sanctified  by  thee. 

In  turn  I  observe  the  solemn  rites 

With  all  the  ceremony  they  require 

To  make  thy  postulates  stand  out  supreme. 

So  may  we  both  have  our  beings  in 

Vestments  (regarded  by  the  multitude) 

Sacred  beyond  investigating  thought ; 

So  may  we  have  them  do  our  bidding,  be 

It  taking  of  a  goodly,  juicy  chunk 

From  nearby  China  Land  or  bringing  home, 

As  in  times  past,  a  boatful  freshly-cut 

Corean  ears.   .   .   .  Clan  over  clan,  each  drives 

And  squeezes  all  below  while  thou  and  I 

And  whomsoever  we  may  choose  to  be 

With  us  are,  by  the  very  stirrings  down 

Below,  kept  strong  and  safe  on  high. 

A  3 

The  Most  High  Court  of  Education  (called 
By  those  for  those  who  feel  themselves  above 
The  deadly  level  of  Democracy) 
Accords  most  cordial  greetings  to  all  souls 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  249 

Ambitious  to  attain  or  to  maintain 

A  vantage  point  in  the  golden  scale 

Of  Dominance.     All  hail !     We  greet  you  all 

Oh,  precious  brethren  and  request  you  heed, 

For  your  own  valued  sakes  devoutly  heed 

Our  exhortations  which  are  prompted  by 

Considerations  just  as  fine  and  high 

As  you  allow  unhampered  right  of  way 

In  deep  recesses  of  your  chosen  selves. 

How  chosen  and  by  whom?     It  matters  not. 

"Philogeneties"  that  grand  new  device 

Together  with  "Emotional  Experience" 

Can  shoulder  all  responsibilities 

The  Gods  were  wont  to  bear.     So,  even  though 

Rank  atheism  shall  enshroud  the  Earth, 

Heart  trampling  deeds  in  climbing  altitudes 

Will  find  justification  and  excuse 

As  heretofore.     Still,  all  is  not  secure. 

Trick  after  trick  of  ours  Time  revealed, 

It  wore  to  frazzled  shreds  fraud  after  fraud. 

Our  own  pretension's  steady  clashing  caused 

Through  time,  a  blunting  of  their  piercing  points, 

A  dulling  of  their  vivisecting  edge. 

Time  works  against  us,  Ha !    But  may  we  not 

Rise  in  our  might,  unsheathe  our  psychic  swords 

And  valiantly  battle  against  time? 

A  man  may  know  his  death  is  stalking  on 

But  that  will  only  keep  him  on  his  guard 

Against  annihilation.     So  must  we 

Protect  our  preserves  from  conspiracies 

To  bring  about  the  dullard's  level  state. 

High  lights  of  finance  give  us  your  support, 

We  will  apply  it  so  it  pay  you  well. 


250  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

The  knowledge  we  impart  is  deftly  mixed 

With  double  quantity  of  our  conceit; 

So,  when  the  recipients  of  it  leave 

Our  institutions  they  enter  the  world 

Deeming  themselves  an  aristocracy 

Of  intelligence  privileged  to  live 

Upon  their  wits  and  duty  bound  to  hold 

Manual  labor  in  scorn  and  contempt. 

We  also  teach  the  value  of  advantage — 

In  leaving  others  limping  on  behind. 

Thus,  for  the  fulcrum  of  a  stake  or  bait 

They'll  run  and  kick  each  other  on  the  knee 

And  laugh  at  him  so  jostled  off  his  feet.  .   .   . 

We  set  their  minds  in  moulds  that  serve  your  ends; 

Bind  erason  with  the  rope  of  selfishness 

Twilled  from  the  strains  of  self-engrossing  views — 

Not  in  a  direct  manner,  no,  for  that  would  be 

Sickening,  repulsive  by  its  ugliness ; 

But  through  enthusiastic  praise  of  groups 

Of  which  the  student  is  a  part  (be  it 

A  state  or  country,  nation  or  a  race) 

While  covering  each  fault  with  a  fine  excuse.   .   .  . 

We  dim  the  light  of  what  is  fair  and  right 

With  goals  set  up  regardless  of  the  next 

Door  neighbor's  just  claim  to  his  breath  of  breeze. 

Thus  feeding  every  tentacle  of  greed 

Without  its  bitter  shame  be  realized.   .   .  . 

Consider  judgment  forming  in  such  minds 

And  contemplate  great  regiments  of  them. 

Class  after  class,  year  after  year  poured  out 

Upon  the  market-place  to  fight  for  bread. 

Social  advancement  and  paying  renown. 

Have  you.?     Well,  you  may  quite  safely  bank 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  251 

Your  all  upon  so  purposed  prejudice.  .  .  . 

Go  play  the  game;  attend  the  stock  exchange 

And  play  for  margins  of  advantage.   .  .  .  Life 

Is  but  a  margin  betwixt  birth  and  death, 

A  margin  divisible  into  parts. 

Seize  all  you  may  until  that  you  control 

A  multitude  and  have  entire  lives 

Laboring  unrequited  in  your  thrall; 

We  guide  the  growing  minds  to  like  it — So 

Send  on  your  gifts,  bequests,  donations  and 

The  generation  trained  in  our  care 

Will  serve  your  every  whim  and  call  you  great 

Genii,  of  emulation  worthy,  blest. 

B 

Ye  sanctimonious  savants  whom  amongst 
The  itch  to  rule  is  not  unknown,  give  ear 
To  this :    I  speak  as  one  of  ye  and  say 
That  blood  of  fools  is  on  their  foolishness. 
Then  if  the  wolf  to  get  his  sip  of  blood 
Must  needs  appear  as  but  one  of  the  lambs 
Rests  not  the  guilt  of  fraud  upon  the  sheep 
That  seeks  protection  in  a  sheepish  way? 
Therefore,  proceed  contending  for  control. 
Nor  be  deferred  from  simulating  dress 
Of  thought  and  feeling.     No,  not  even  though 
The  wardrobe  of  religion  must  be  stripped 
To  gain  the  Earthly  goal  of  ruling  men. 
What  is  a  man's  religion  ?     Oh,  it  is 
All  that  he  knows  plus  what  he  thinks  he  knows. 
Plus  what  seems  certain  or  well-nigh  assured. 
Plus  all  the  light  engendered  by  the  force 
Of  knowledge  and  belief,  plus  all  the  strength 


252  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

And  wisdom  rising  from  those  powers  in 
Reaction  to  whatever  they  confront. 
Thus,  lack  of  knowledge,  indiscreet  belief 
The  light  of  faith  defeated,  baffled,  foiled ; 
And  every  bruise  in  a  fellow's  mind 
And  every  over-weight  upon  his  back 
Contracts  religion  just  to  what  it  is. 
So,  go  ahead  ye  sons  of  piety 
And  make  the  world  sweat  for  monocracy. 

B  1 

The  arch  distiller  of  the  quintessence 

Of  censorship  to  ermine  wearers  and 

Possessors  of  the  wondrous  parchments  which 

How  deep  soever,  buried  in  a  safe 

Attract  the  flow  of  service  and  esteem. 

Lords  of  the  realm,  feel  certain  of  your  might 

While  loyal  servants,  in  your  interest. 

Control  the  people's  mental  food  supply. 

No  head,  bediademed  with  jewels,  need 

Recline  uneasy  on  its  sumptuous  couch 

While  proper  guards  control  the  very  springs 

Of  information.     From  the  fluid  of 

These  bubbling  springs  most  people  slack  their  thirst 

(What  little  thirst  they  have  for  knowledge)  when 

Events  of  greatest  magnitude  press  on 

For  some  decisive  stand.     At  present  both. 

Glib  print  and  speech,  conceals  but  little;  so. 

The  outcome  of  deliberative  talk 

Depends  on  information  talkative 

Deliberants  possess.     There  we  begin. 

Given  a  people,  compelled  by  time  to  act, 

Theatered,  churched,  newspapered,  magazined 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  253 

In  certain  fashion  for  a  certain  plan 

And  who  so  dense  that  cannot  figure  out 

Conclusions  of  their  highest  tribunals? 

The  spring  from  which  the  starting  rivulet  flows 

Lies  hidden  somewhere  in  the  woodland  deep. 

There  at  the  source,  we  to  the  manner  born 

Can  cause  a  flavor  making  habits  force 

Drive  wheels  in  our  behalf ;  mix  colors  so 

The  river's  flow  will  serve  our  main  design; 

Withhold  refractions  ions  for  the  light 

They  might  shed  on  the  rest ;  add  poison  if 

We  must  have  madness  storming  through  the  land 

To  fortify  our  own  security. 

There,  screened  by  foliage  in  the  woodland  deep, 

Let  loose  malarial  swarms  till  we  turned 

Pure  crystal  water  into  witches'  broth. 

Then  let  the  fluid  flow,  as  Earth  and  wind 

May  guide  its  stream,  contaminating  all 

That  it  absorbs  and  carrying  madness  to 

All  bosoms  who,  a-thirst,  partake  of  it. 

Then,  what  a  joy  to  see  the  ogre's  dance! 

Some  wiggling  soundless  as  the  grassy  snake. 

Some  spinning  like  a  top  lest  they  fall  down, 

Some  rushing  back  and  forth,  some  jumping  head 

On  head,  some  rolling  frenzied  somersaults ; 

Some  crossing  up,  some  down,  some  all  between. 

They  scream  and  yell  and  curse  and  scold — 

A  tangled  mass  of  wires  crossed  and  bent 

With  burning  currents  coursing  through  them  all 

From  information  each  from  us  received. 


254  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

B  2 

Consider  friends,  in  concert  of  the  powers 

One  who,  though  playing  second  vioHn, 

May  have  some  first-class  tricks  up  in  his  sleeves. 

So  harken,  souls  elect  to  rule  the  world. 

Let  it  proceed  on  paths  that  ye  select 

By  forcing  thought  away  from  any  course 

Inimical  to  your  complete  control. 

The  men  in  charge  of  warriors  are  wise; 

Whatever  is  to  be  accomplished  by 

Them,  be  it  but  a  step,  a  turn,  a  charge, 

Or  complicated  convolution's  move — 

The  cry  that  first  of  all  is  ringing  forth. 

In  voice  or  in  trumpet  sound,  calls  for 

Attention !     Even  so,  that  which  ye  would 

That  people  never  shall  attain,  divert 

Attention  from  it !     Friends,  are  ye  awake 

To  the  importance  of  the  fact  divulged? 

New  it  is  not;  it  served  throughout  the  past. 

But  still  it  can  be  made  to  serve.     How  so.? 

Oh,  well!  most  any  music  or  noise  will  do 

If  loud  enough.    That  is  it  will  do  for 

A  while,  until  the  aching  senses  reel 

In  discomfort.     Then  be  not  as  a  dove 

But  concentrate  upon  the  serpent's  job. 

Hand  out  fresh  consolations  in  such  great 

Variety  and  such  large  quantities 

That  minds  made  sick  by  life-long  unfulfilled 

Desires  grapple  with  each  other  for 

The  glory  who  can  bear  the  most  of  it. 

Besides,  attend  to  warping  of  the  soul 

With  doctrines  twisted  and  monopolized 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  255 

By  certain  moribund  promontories 

Whose  claims  and  counter-claims  confound  the  sense. 

Then,  left  without  a  guiding  star  or  strength 

To  find  its  way  the  cheated  human  breast 

Succumbs ;  the  soul  bereft  of  wings  of  thought 

Falls  in  the  very  trap  set  up  for  it : 

A  saturnalia  of  emotional  waves 

That  can  be  whipped,  manipulated,  swayed 

To  serve  whatever  serves  the  tyrant's  aims. 

B  3 

Mahatma,  charming  sister  of  mine,  I 

Now  charge  thee  to  be  really  wise  and  cease 

Wasting  thy  golden  talent  in  attempts 

To  set  up,  piecemeal,  heaven  on  this  Earth. 

The  Earth  is  heavy  with  a  mass  of  minds 

Which  neither  dare  nor  want  to  think.    They  must 

Be  ever  leaning  on  whoever  will 

Carry  the  burden.    See,  the  august,  high 

Church  dignitaries  swim  in  wealth;  why  should 

A  charming  lady  of  thy  voice  and  frame 

Sink  down  in  poverty?     Lo,  misery 

Has  been  so  long  with  men  that  they  have  come — 

To  like  it  ?     No !    But  they  have  come  to  make 

A  compromise  with  pain  and  stain  and  gloom — 

While  those  beyond  the  pale  of  need  or  want 

Love,  cherish  and  support  those  who  maintain 

The  awful  covenant.     There  is  thy  chance. 

If  for  preserving  hell  on  Earth  the  Hell 

Of  somewhere  else  cannot  hold  interest 

And  olden  demons  fail  to  cast  a  scare. 

Set  imps  to  work  of  new,  high-sounding  names, 

As  Ban  of  111  Thought,  Curse  of  Somebody, 


256  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Malicious  Magnetism  and  the  like. 
What  labor  could  be  lighter  than  to  forge 
From  airy  nothing  unsubstantial  things? 
Life  is  a  bridge  from  past  to  future  years 
As  broad  and  high  and  glorious  as  one  can 
Make  it.     Each  tier  therein,  each  band  and  bolt 
Is  immortality.     Yet  there  are  those 
Who,  ever  craving  for  a  something  else 
Than  that  which  is  must  be  supplied  with  aims. 
Go,  jolly  such  with  pleasing  dreams.    Heaven? 
Why  let  them  have  it  full  of  harps  and  songs. 
Or  full  of  houris  with  the  smell  of  musk. 
Paint  heaven  so  that  people  deem  it  worth 
To  work  their  way  to  it  while  you  collect 
A  tribute  from  their  work.    If  this  spell  fails 
Treat  them  to  spirits,  spirits  of  the  mind; 
Not  of  the  calm,  undaunted  kind  that  make 
One  face  death  tranquil  as  the  Earth  regards 
The  setting  of  the  Sun,  as  oceans  view 
The  turning  of  the  tide,  or  as  the  peak 
Upon  the  mountain  top  can  face  the  storm. 
What  if  a  stone  must  roll  to  depths  below? 
It  merely  turns   fundamental  base 
For  some  new  peak  that  is  to  crown 
Some  mountain  top  of  future  days.     Go  on. 
Treat  them  to  spirits  of  the  rapping  sort 
That  cannot  see  but  in  Cimmerian  dark, 
Nor  speak  before  they  harken  to  some  poor, 
Bereaved,  aching,  trembling  heart's  sad  tale. 
Treat  them  to  spirits  of  any  shape  or  make 
So  it  will  strongly  hold  attention  off. 
Diverted  from  the  great  world's  common  cause. 
Assist  souls  in  their  weakness  to  stay  weak. 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  257 

Afraid  of  every  turn  in  the  winds, 

A- trembling  at  the  rustle  of  a  leaf, 

Seeing  invisible  bodies, 

Hearing  inaudible  sounds. 

Even  as  their  chosen  phantom  friends 

Taste  without  tongue  or  palate. 

Smell  sans  olfactories  and  feel  without  bodily  touch : 

Have  them  imagine  imagination  real ; 

Let  them  get  drunk  on  Spiritless  spirituality — 

And  mayst  thou  sister  Mahatma  become  rich  quick. 


Unfortunate  idealistic  friend  of  mine 

Thou  art  cast  into  jail,  clapped  behind  bolts  and 

bars, 
And  I  your  erstwhile  schoolmate  am  sheriif  in  charge 
Of  the  prison  establishment  wherein  you  must 
Languish !    Inexplicable  seems  the  labyrinth 
Of  paths  by  which  we  have  arrived  unto  this  state, 
But  scanning  our  boyhood  days  and  deeds  I  see 
Of  such  an  outcome  the  inevitableness. 
Thou  wert  disposed  to  dream,  I  to  be  practical; 
Thou  readest  books  on  glorious  accomplishments. 
Glowing  accounts  of  the  Bastile's  demolition — 
I  saw  the  bastions  in  building  everywhere. 
Then  read  biographies  of  most  successful  men 
And  life  and  chance  have  wrought  the  rest.     Now  I 

am 
Lord  of  the  realms  here.     See,  my  word  is  law 
And  thine  at  most  a  sigh ;  perhaps  far  to  be  seen, 
Perhaps  long  to  be  heard,  still,  it  is  but  a  sigh. 
And  thou  canst  not  cast  blame  on  me  nor  bear  me  ill 


258  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE  . 

For  I  am  but  a  cog  in  the  machinery 
Of  law.    The  highmost  jailer  is  the  man  who  holds 
The  highest  office  in  the  land  and  he  again 
But  executes  the  will  of  men  with  appetites 
Insatiable.     These  are  the  cocks  that  rule  the  roost, 
They  are  the  drivers  of  the  juggernaut,  let  fall 
Who  may,  and  end  who  must  a  broken  mass  beneath 
The  wagon,  mangled  in  the  dust !     And  thou,  poor 

friend 
Who  essayest  to  stem  the  idolatrous  wheel 
Must  feel  its  crushing  weight!     You  have  my  sym- 
pathies 
And  that  is  all  one  can  spare  without  suffering 
Financial  setbacks,  whereas  I  must  forge  ahead 
To  gain  a  higher  place  for  my  dear  family. 
Meanwhile,  idealist  friend  thou  mayest  proceed 
With  dreaming  dreams  and  weaving  thy  faith  into 

them. 
I  cling  to  law  and  order  as  applied  and  we 
Shall  see  from  day  to  day  who  is  the  better  oif. 

CI 

What.?     Abdicate  the  throne  of  plenty?     No, 

Be  not  as  foolish  as  all  that,  my  boy ; 

Let  not  your  head  be  turned  by  cheap  speech 

Of  smoothly  talking  selfish  demagogues. 

Some  promise  everything  on  Earth  that  is 

Not  theirs,  and  laggards,  weaklings. 

May  yell  enthusiastic  mob  acclaim. 

But  which  of  them  would  give  a  thousand  pounds 

Of  gold  for  just  the  semblance  of  a  pence .^^ 

Or  who  so  philanthropic  as  to  take 

The  heavy  burden  of  hard  labor's  cross 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  259 

In  straight  exchange  for  economic  ease? 

Who  would  abandon  a  magnificent 

Completely  fitted  floating  palace  on 

The  heaving  seas  for  some  small  fragile  craft 

Of  unknown  strength  and  doubtful  destiny? 

Oh,  search  them  in  their  hearts  and  watch  them  in 

Their  deals  with  one  another  and  you  may 

Behold  selfishness  in  its  grossest  mood. 

Are  not  they  ever  on  a  ceaseless  hunt 

To  get  something  for  nothing?     Are  not  they 

Most  willing  to  receive  for  one  cent  spent 

A  nickel's  worth?     Indeed,  a  fair  exchange 

Of  goods  upon  the  market  would  exclude 

The  bargain  seeker's  multitude  the  which 

If  happened,  much  of  rush  and  joy  and  boast 

Of  shopping  would  be  lost.     Face  facts  and  folks 

Just  as  they  are  and  suffer  not  to  be 

A  bottom  dog  in  economic  strife. 

Nor  some  poor  wench  of  mediocrity, 

But  rise  above  the  circumstances  or. 

If  circumstances  served  to  lift  you  up 

To  heights  that  sighs  of  envy  envelop 

As  a  protective  element,  hold  on! 

Hold  on  in  comfort  while  the  multitude 

Below  is  fighting  for  the  privilege 

To  reinforce  your  hold,  each  in  the  hope 

Of  getting  one  step  nearer  to  your  throne. 

Unto  these  willing  servants  of  yours  say: 

Hear,   captains,   generals,  marshals,   on   the   field 

Of  industry  and  finance : —  As  you  would 

Maintain  yourselves  much  honored  and  well  fed 

And  always  envied  by  the  populace ; 

Let  not  the  state  of  labor  ever  rise 


260  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

From  out  subjection's  dust.    Let  no  man  lift 

The  curse  from  it  Jehovah  has  pronounced. 

Deny  you  may  the  burden  of  it  all, 

And  flattering  words  to  sons  of  toil  you  may 

Disburse  with  liberal  hands;  but  deep  within 

The  breast  of  toiling,  sweating  human  kind 

The  lot  of  labor  must  be  known  and  felt 

As  a  disgrace  caused  by  God's  will  and  by 

The  laborer's  incompetence;  for  such 

As  oversee  them  must  be  recognized 

Divinely  favored,  of  superior  mold. 

Those  who  arrived  on  Easy  Street  may  boast 

A  few  years'  work  or  boast  a  Union  Card; 

Boast  for  a  purpose — but,  of  course,  you  know 

That  toil  is  a  blemish,  flaw  or  blot 

On  any  really  noble  escutcheon. 

And  so  it  must  remain.     The  very  men 

Who  frothingly  declaim  on  labor's  rights 

Are  very  keen  to  get  from  under  its 

Duties — And  once  in  office  for  a  year 

Or  two,  they  feel  (exception  proves  the  rule) 

Superior  to  the  herd !     That  is  quite  well. 

Hardship  of  labor  may  not  be  too  hard 

To  bear  for  men  with  mutual  regard ; 

But  shame  attending  those  who  fall  into 

The  lowly  ranks  of  labor,  and  disgrace 

For  disability  to  rise  above  the  plane 

Of  common  laborers,  together  with 

The  blandishments  we  can  devise,  from  time 

To  time,  brings  forth  sufficient  personnel 

For  driving  on  the  rest  to  suit  us  well. 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  261 

C  2 

Most  Liberal  donor  of  numerous  funds, 

Prime  founder  of  a  hundred  libraries 

Your  benefactions  are  a  wondrous  boon ! 

Through  them  a  miracle  is  wrought,  a  thing 

Accomplished,  ever  thought  impossible: 

The  eating  of  a  cake  and  keeping  it — 

I,  as  distributer,  receive  therefrom 

Some  goodly  morsels  and  in  gratitude 

For  that  my  share,  I  make  acknowledgment 

Of  your  unexcelled  ingenuity. 

When  that  the  cake  had  grown  so  large  it  seemed 

That  it  must  fall  apart  from  its  own  weight, 

The  whole  was  saved  by  giving  parts  away 

To  institutions  whose  support  called  for 

Their  help  to  keep  intact  the  status  quo 

For  cake  and  mills  that  furnish  it.     Those  parts 

We  give  away  are  cake  indeed  but  made 

From  extra  flour,  additional  increment. 

So  all  goes  well,  dear  master;  energy 

To  drive  production  we  lack  not,  and  if 

We  should  be  plagued  by  foolish  turbulence. 

Dear  memories  of  Homestead,  Latimer 

Will  show  the  way  of  how  to  quell  such  stir — 

There  fleeing  strikers  were  shot  in  the  back 

And,  master,  rest  assured  we  still  can  have 

The  gunmen's  services.     How  do  I  know.? 

By  knowing  rivals  for  your  preference. 

Safe  is  forsooth  the  might  of  wealth  while  lasts 

The  rivalry  of  seekers  after  it. 

The  other  day  I  overheard  this  prayer ; 

Or  meditation  of  a  soul  so  primed : 


262  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"My  God,  my  God,  what  wouldst  thou  have  me  do 

Upon  the  roadway  of  success?     How  long, 

How  much  more  strenuously  must  I  contend 

To  reach  the  goal?    'Tis  many  years  I  slaved 

To  come  abreast  the  higher  circle  which 

Was  wont  to  look  down  on  me  with  contempt, 

And  still  I  find  myself  a  low-cast  son 

Of  common  people !    It  is  difficult 

To  stand  such  strain,  such  standing  to  endure. 

All  through  my  hardest,  leanest,  longest  years 

My  bread  and  water  was  embittered  by 

Belittling  sneers  on  upturned  faces  as 

They  journeyed  past  poor  me.     So  things  went  on 

Day  after  day.    The  Sun  seemed  cruel  and 

The  gall  within  me  boiled  in  protest. 

Still,  I  could  hope.     I  saved.     In  time  I  bought 

A  tiny  cottage.     Crossing  there,  one  day. 

The  sallow  visage  of  a  man,  short  built. 

Long  nosed,  red  bearded,  glinting  eyes,  whisked  by 

In  a  fine  limousine.     I  had  known  him 

An  abject  pariah;  and,  now,  he  rode 

Nigh  over  me !     The  grin  upon  that  face 

At  my  predicament  and  humble  state 

Lighted  in  my  heart  the  fires  of  revenge — 

Revenge  on  all  the  world  in  general 

And  in  particular  on  every  one 

Retarding  my  advance !     Then  thoughts  arose 

To  serve  my  feelings :  fine  ideas  of 

Good  effort  and  vile  thoughts   from  theft  through 

fraud. 
To  murder  even  !    Finally,  I  chose 
The  plainest,  sanest,  safest,  easiest  way 
Presented  through  the  public  charts.     And  now, 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  263 

In  the  arena  for  success,  I  swear  to  win ! 

For  this,  I  learned  all  the  several  arts 

Of  conversation,  formal  intercourse. 

And  undulations  with  opportune  tide. 

My  God,  I  am  as  fit  as  one  in  search 

For  high  position  or  the  full  control 

Respecting  other's  welfare,  well  can  be; 

I  manage  eyes  and  face,  and  tongue  and  voice. 

Yes,  and  my  whole  appearance  to  accord 

With  just  the  show  occasion  does  require. 

Excuses  I  can  make  as  lawyers  can — 

And  look  wise  in  the  manner  that  well-trained 

Physicians  are  exhibiting  or  yes 

Or  no  the  rays  of  understanding  have 

Entered  their  brains.     And  I  can  bluff  a  thing 

Through,  just  as  clever  tradesmen  have  a  way 

Of  doing  when  lack  of  knowledge  leaves 

Them  in  the  lurch.     Of  course,  I  have  dispensed 

With  friends  whose  several  little  burdens  bore 

Me  down  as  would  a  swimmer  sink  in  dress 

Embroidered  with  a  thousand  little  weights. 

And  I  have  laid  my  offerings  at  the  feet 

Whose  step  ahead  makes  my  own  fortune  rise. 

My  God,  what  more  is  there  for  me  to  do.'' 

The  circles  higher  up  look  down  at  me 

A  dagger  in  each  glance.     They  cut  me  to  the  quick ! 

What  kind  of  watery  diluted  blood 

Is  coursing  in  the  coward  weaklings  who 

Can  bear  the  daily  burnings  of  disgrace 

Administered  unto  a  lowly  caste 

Without  resentment  .f'     Oh,  I  feel  it  is 

Beyond  endurance.    In  my  desperate  mood 

I  feel  I  could  despoil  the  very  church 


264  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

I  helped  to  build,  I  feel  that  I  should  take 

A  great  deal  more  than  slowly  comes  my  way ; 

I  feel  my  fingers  clutching  close,  I  feel 

My  brains  a-reeling  and  my  heart  beat  fast.  .   .  . 

My  God,  my  God,  what  wouldst  thou  have  me  do?" 

03 

Ho,  Jailer,  have  you  room  for  more  of  those 

Slick,  unruly,  recalcitrant  hot-heads 

Who  dare  to  be  too  open  and  too  bold 

In  turning  things  so  they  come  out  on  top? 

The  concrete  walls  and  iron  bars  we  placed 

In  trust  with  you  are  surely  strong  enough 

To  hold  apart  whom  we  must  separate 

From  mobs  that  can  be  easily  inflamed. 

But  how  about  your  helpers?     Are  they  safe? 

Their  arms  steady  to  repel  attack? 

As  you  appreciate  your  office  or 

The  pay  that  goes  with  it,  pay  heed  unto 

Requirements  thereof.    Aye,  first  of  all 

Keep  your  own  heart  strong  under  lock  and  key 

Against  encroachment  on  your  sympathies. 

The  agitator's  smooth  and  oily  talk 

Will  fetch  no  victuals,  much  less  can  it  fetch 

A  chariot  for  you  and  friends  to  ride 

In  proudly,  on  occasions  of  parade. 

As  spokesman  for  a  body  OAvning  wealth, 

Most  all  the  wealth  the  nation  is  supposed 

To  own,  I  say :  be  ever  on  the  watch. 

You  hold  the  key  not  only  to  the  jail, 

But  also  to  the  order  that  prevails 

Outside  of  it.     When  faint,  remember  that! 

Or  is  there  stirring  something  in  your  breast. 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  265 

That  moralists  call  conscience?     Away 

With  it,  Duke  Gloster  had  but  ducats  for 

Dispatchers  of  his  brother  in  the  tower; 

That  calmed  their  qualms  and  steeled  them  to  the 
deed — 

But  we  are  giving  you  a  steady  flow 

Oh,  high  remuneration,  all — besides 

We  give  you  power ;  make  you  one  of  us, 

A  veritable  full-fledged  monocrat! 

Thus  you  can  disregard  what  toiling  souls 

Have  struggled  to  embody  in  a  writ 

Of  constitution;  whenever  so  disposed. 

Suspend  the  laws  within  your  bailiwick. 

Forbid  the  voice  you  dislike  to  hear, 

And  with  your  minions'  hand  proceed  to  mock 

The  hallowed  declaration  many  fine 

Aspiring  souls  still  hold  in  reverence. 

Think  you  not  this  a  precious  privilege? 

If  not,  a  crowd  of  others  will  be  glad 

To  take  your  place,  which  must  be  rightly  filled. 

So  we  may  continue  to  hold  our  own 

And  reap  therefrom  the  golden  benefit. 

Fear  not,  supporters  we  can  always  catch — 

Some  we  can  feed  with  pride  of  ancestry, 

Some  we  may  keep  in  yoke  with  empty  fame. 

Some  we  can  lead  on  with  the  glow  of  hope 

For  something  thousand  times  less  possible 

Than  a  balloon  ride  in  the  Milky  Way. 

But  some  cannot  be  swayed,  nor  led,  nor  coerced 

With  words  and  then,  brave  jailer,  you  must  serve 

To  break  the  stubborn  will  of  recreants. 

You  need  not  torture  them  unless  you  wish, 

Just  feed  them  so  that  native  strength  shall  leave 


266  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

The  body;  with  it  vanishes  the  strength 

Of  mind  which  dried  up,  leaves  the  soul  a  wreck. 

As  for  justification  of  it  all 

Leave  it  to  us,  our  pulpit  and  our  press ! 


Good  news,  my  brethren  to  the  manner  born, 

I  have  some  splendid,  great  good  news  for  you; 

Straight  from  the  august  conclave  of  the  high 

And  most  high  dignitaries  in  the  field 

Of  experimental  science.     (Experiments 

Are  being  carried  on  in  our  behalf,  of  course. 

Else  there  would  be  no  dignity  to  it.) 

A  mighty  truth  has  been  found  and  propelled 

Unto  the  center  of  the  stage,  a  verity 

As  far-reaching  as  it  is  bold  and  new. 

Oh,  how  am  I  to  tell  the  gist  of  it 

By  lisping  of  the  tongue,  when  what  I  think 

About  is  moving,  fashioning  souls  of  men.'^ 

Oh,  friends,  forbear  with  my  soft,  faltering  thoughts ; 

Forbear  awhile,  for  I  am  overawed 

By  this  colossal  new  discovery. 

Yet  feel  at  ease !    These  learned  men  know  from 

What  side  their  bread  gets  buttered;  they  are  all 

With  us,  commending  in  the  highest  terms 

Fine,  blessed  joys  and  bracing  strength  that  comes 

From  competition.     Right  and  left  they  urge 

To  leave  the  mass  below  and  all  who  can 

Project  themselves  to  highest  eminence. 

So,  who  will  dare  expect  that  we  shall  fight 

For  lesser  stakes?     That  we  be  satisfied 

With  power,  wealth,  fame,  social  dominance 

No  more  than  that  we  liad  achieved  by  birtli? 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  267 

That  we  live  on  without  an  aim  or  want, 

Forego  ambition's  zeal,  incentive's  force, 

And  lifting  powers  of  a  great  reward? 

Thus  everything  is  right  from  bonds  and  bars 

To  bombs  and  battleships.     Oh,  yes,  you  want 

The  news  I  have  set  out  to  tell.    It  is 

An  epoch-making  revelation  that 

All  former  prophets  failed  to  make,  a  truth 

So  fundamental  that  the  privilege 

Of  presentation  moves  me  unto  tears. 

Tears,  not  of  sorrow,  but  of  pride  and  joy, 

Because  this  revelation  must,  perforce. 

Secure  its  publisher  fine  sympathies. 

High,  rapturous  applause,  generous  pay,  and,  too. 

Encyclopedic  immortality ! 

Now,  now,  be  still.     Oh,  dear,  constituents ! 

Constrain  your  hearts  in  patience  for  a  while, 

Because  to  make  my  meaning  fully  clear 

I  must  recall  unto  your  memory 

The  famous  dictum  of  a  famous  man 

Who  could  promote  a  piece  of  virile  slang 

Into  immortal  classic  epigram 

Thus :    "Every  minute  sees  a  sucker  born !" 

The  new  discovery  is  like  to  that 

But  greater  by  a  lifetime's  time:  It  is 

That  every  dupe  can  be  deceived  once  more ! 

D  1 

Well  done,  my  good  servant  dominant,  pashalic 
Psychologist!     Magnificent  discoveries 
Raise  your  credit  account  unto  sublimity. 
My  meditations  had  not  revealed  to  me  that 
Painting  a  pump-handle  lighter  will  cause  a  serf 


268  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Draw  more  aquacious  weight  with  the  same  willing- 
ness. 
That  is  a  glorious  finding  and  wondrous,  for 
Longest  eared  quadruped  is  ne'er  so  assinine 
But  stops  short  pulling  loads  heavier  (though  dis- 
guised) 
Than  his  feeling  perceives  sufficient  for  the  haul. 
Great  technician,  continue  to  investigate 
So  what  the  prophet's  beard  cannot  procure  for  us 
We  come  by,  outright,  through  holy  efficiency. 
Verily,  every  dupe  can  be  deceived  once  more! 
However,  it  is  most  needful,  imperative 
To  prevent  menials  from  being  undeceived. 
Much  rather  confirm  their  idolatrous  regard 
For  trappings,  keeping  them  humbly  subservient. 
Nowadays,  I  should  not  relish  the  olden  job 
Blinding  one  score  thousand  vile  Bulgarian  eyes.   .   .  . 
A  well  -  stocked  harem  with  eunuchs  to  watch  the 

stock, 
Servants  for  every  occasion  and  gold  enough 
Properly  to  maintain  this  fine  establishment 
Is  good  enough  for  me.    I  being  quite  content 
Menials  should  joy  in  vicarious  delight. 
Let  them  feel  proud  because  oftentimes  privileged 
To  cast  their  worthless  glance  upon  a  robe  of  state. 
Let  them  be  awed  by  our  glittering  regalia ! 
Overwhelmed  by  glistenings  of  our  shiny  stones 
They  never  can  possess ;  bow  to  insignia 
Of  thousand  and  one  sort  tremblingly,  gasp  in  great 
Wonderment  at  frills  and  furbelows,  and  before 
Garments  of  certain  cut  fall  into  abject  fear. 
Reckless  iconoclasts  who  would  in  any  way 
Undo  the  magic  spell  of  our  set  masquerades 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  269 

Must  be  squelched  lest  people  look  through  all  dis- 
guises 

And  then  find  nothing  but  naked  humanity. 

Then  muse:  why  should  we  be  stigmatized  servi- 
tors ? — 

Yet,  only  having  such  can  we  have  prideful  ease. 

Therefore,  crush  whoso  would  deprive  us  of  this  boon, 

Bury  him  underneath  long-winded  epitaphs. 

Designate  his  attempts  envenomed  truculence; 

Non-classical,  illiterate,  barbarian ; 

Primogenially  stark,  contumelious, 

Contemporaneously  insignificant, 

Prospectively  evanescent  mediocrity ! 

What  putty  heart  will  dare  to  cross  so  great  a  ban? 

D  2 

Beloved  son,  before  I  even  knew 

Who  was  to  be  your  sire,  I  loved  you. 

As  feelings  in  my  bosom  came  to  glow 

With  longing  and  my  heart  experienced 

A  new  mysterious  passionate  desire, 

I  sought,  while  dreaming  and  in  waking  hours. 

To  understand  the  meaning  of  it  all. 

And  it  was  you!     I  saw  a  round-faced  babe 

With  skin  more  tender  than  a  fresh-blown  rose; 

I  saw  a  boy  emerging  from  among 

His  mates  as  leaves  a  comet  simple  stars ; 

And  then  I  saw  a  soldier  at  the  head 

Of  hosts  of  men,  a  chief  whose  very  word 

Was  like  the  fiat  of  a  mighty  God, 

Or  life  or  death  to  others  as  he  willed. 

And  then  I  saw  vast  armies  fall  in  clash 

On  one  another,  slaying,  slashing  wild; 


270  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Saw  finally,  one  trampled  under  foot 

The  other  mustered  on  the  gory  field ; 

And  then  I  saw  a  laureled  conqueror 

March  underneath  a  high  triumphal  arch, 

His  breast  aflame  with  decorative  stars, 

His  every  turn,  his  every  little  say 

Englorified  in  sculpture,  paint  and  song. 

Then  I  heard  queries  from  ten  million  lips: 

"Whose  son  is  he?"     At  which  my  youthful  frame 

Thrilled  and  trembled.     Then  I  set  my  mind 

To  suffer  pain  and  take  my  chance  with  death 

For  you !     Accordingly  I  chose  the  man 

To  share  with  love's  delight,  and  not  in  vain, 

For  we  have  outschemed  many  aspirants 

To  win  a  scepter  and  to  hold  a  reign. 

However  Lilliputian  the  domain 

We  ruled,  yet,  were  we  highest  king  and  queen. 

Alas,  adversity  has  blown  its  harsh 

And  surly  winds  against  us.     We  lost  our  throne 

But  not  our  wish  to  rule.    ...    Go  out,  my  son, 

Go  out  into  the  world  and  claim  your  right. 

Appeal  as  martyr  for  your  heritage 

And  mark !    What  men  in  search  for  happiness 

Have  found  a  helpful  and  substantial  boon 

Is  regal,  legal  uncontested  prey 

To  ready  wielders  of  supremacy 

On  terms  that  they  get  away  with  it — 

Disguise  yourself,  if  need  be,  as  a  plain 

And  honest  man.     Beginning  all  anew. 

Observe  prevailing  psychologic  winds. 

And  set  your  sails  to  catch  them  for  your  aim. 

Have  men  become  enamored  with  success? 

Have  them  pursue  its  shiny  counterfeit — 


CABALS    OF    MONOCRACY  271 

Has  balsam  of  a  smile  endeared  itself? 

Smile,  while  your  heart  is  sharpening  the  knife 

To   scalp  your  unsuspecting  victim  with — 

Do  men  appreciate  fine  sympathies? 

Shed,  publicly  your  crocodilian  tears — 

As  ten  times  thousand  toiling  pioneers 

Enhanced  the  sound  of  reassuring  words. 

Utter  such  freely;  though  you  do  not  mean 

A  syllable  of  it.     Who  knows  but  you 

May  claim  part  credit  for  achievement  which 

Comes  to  be  rated  high,  yet  cost  you  naught 

Else  but  a  hollow  sound!     Then,  there  are  men 

Who  crave  sweet  hand-waves   of  true  friendliness — 

You  give  its  imitation  when  thereby 

Some  unsophisticated  confidence 

Will  shed  its  lustre  for  your  benefit. 

From  naught  through  politics  and  battle's  roar 

Go  forth,  my  son,  and  live  your  mother's  dream. 

D  3 

Most  illustrious  Lord,  on  whose  empire 
Never  sets  the  Sun,  a  splendid  glory 
Which  outshines  the  flaming  halls  of  herven. 
Not  alone  for  nabobs  of  your  realm 
But,  also,  for  many  of  its  paupers — 
You,  whose  globe  encircling  rich  resources 
Harbor  wealth  in  more  immense  abundance 
Than  the  sunlit  seashores  round  about  your 
Ocean-washed  possessions,  glistening 
Sand  grains.     Praise  be  unto  you,  defender 
Of  monarchical  claims.     Here  in  my  castle, 
Amidst  gilded  walls,  with  rows  of  painted 
Sword  aristocrats  benignly  beaming 


272  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

On  their  direct  emulous  descendant, 
I  make  oath  to  hold  up  your  strong  arm 
Unto  the  end!     People  in  their  wonted 
Childish  manner  try  to  find  some  reason 
To  account  for  what  we  have  them  doing; 
For  the  slashing  of  each  other  into 
Fragmentary  pieces,  for  the  shedding 
Of  each  other's  good  for  nothing  blood  in 
Fascinated  joyous  exultation. 
Silly  fools,  how  slow  of  comprehension ! 
Not  one  entertains  the  least  suspicion 
That  we  gain  out  of  their  loyal  folly 
Royal  power  for  our  far  descendants 
Half  a  thousand  years  from  hence ;  even  as 
Our  ancestors  acquired  half  a  thousand 
Years  ere  now  the  power  for  us  which  we 
Gayly  wield  to  suit  our  kingly  pleasure. 
Kingly  pleasure,  not  mere  animal  joys 
Downmost  muzhiks  also  may  partake  of; 
Kingly  pleasures,  not  mere  creature  comforts 
Got  by  cramped  thought  and  murky  sweat  of 
Drudgery ;  high,  kingly  pleasures ;  power 
Over  people's  life,  their  weal  and  woe,  and 
Loud  sung  adoration  that  encircleth 
With  a  shining  halo,  things  we  but  touch; 
Flattering  fame  which  overwhelms  with  our 
Image  minds  of  multitudes  compelling 
Them  to  be  our  pliant  tools !    All  this  and 
More  is  ours  merely  for  the  taking — 
Even  this,  the  least  graceful  acceptance 
Being  lauded  to  the  seventh  heavens 
And  to  men  praised  as  gratitude-worthy. 
Such  a  state  is  surely  worth  preserving, 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  273 

Surely  'twere  not  healthy  for  us  to  have 
Peace  on  Earth,  enough  to  make  our  calling 
Identical  with  that  of  broken  idols. 
Wherefore,  let  us,  craftily,  keep  going 
All  well  tried  contraptional  devices 
Engineered  to  trip  men  in  their  thinking; 
Have  our  courtiers  amplify  diversions 
Of  the  bloody  shirt  in  all  its  aspects ; 
Have  fanatical  processions  marching 
To  pyres  of  legendary  traitors ; 
Cause  Christian  festivals  and  feastings 
To  be  sanctified  with  Jewish  pogroms.  .  .  . 
Then,  I  answer  silly  protestations 
With  a  well-filled  story  book  of  lynchings. 
Thus,  I  keep  at  home  my  subjects  busy 
While  fomenting  insurrections  elsewhere 
Until  pressed  for  open  intervention — 

E 

Parental  duty,  obligating  each 
Fond  father  to  convey,  while  yet  he  may, 
Unto  his  children  secrets  of  the  art 
Which  he  knows  best,  impels  me  to  address 
You  first-born,  dearest,  loveliest  of  my  boys. 
This  morning  I  observed  a  starHng  come 
Close  to  its  nest,  a  choice  fat,  round,  long 
Piece  of  inducement  dangling  from  its  beak 
To  coax  young  fledglings  out  into  the  world; 
So,  they  may  venture  learning  how  to  fly. 
No  man  and  least  of  all  can  kings  afford 
To  let  untutored  feet  come  in  their  path; 
Hence  do  I  take  you  in  my  confidence. 
I  fain  would  have  you  in  due  time  ascend 


274  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

My  august'  throne  in  full  possession  of 

The  arts  that  keep  it  up  in  dazzling  light. 

You  are  to  make  this  throne  more  dazzling  still 

By  the  attraction  of  your  power's  glare. 

Some  prattlers  say  there's  always  room  on  top — 

But  that  should  only  fool  those  on  the  climb. 

The  mountain's  highest  peak — accommodates 

But  few  or  only  one;  it  being  so 

Much  longed  for  by  so  many,  let  the  place 

Of  uppermost,  at  any  cost,  be  ours.   .  .  . 

A  leaf  or  two  from  out  of  cunning's  book 

Will  teach  you  to  maintain  your  august  state 

In  glistening  aspects  of  sagacity.  .   .  . 

They  point  unmistakably  the  way 

To  widest  power  absolutely  held 

Under  the  pseudonym  of  Figurehead. 

Be  not  afeared  from  sounds  of  cannons'  boom, 

They  are  but  part  of  every  monarch's  call. 

But  for  the  rumpus  on  the  battlefields 

We  would  be  plagued  with  social  functionings ; 

Pageants,  corteges  and  rare  shows  wherein 

Ourselves  must  serve  to  satisfy  the  dull 

Gaseous  witted  gaping  multitudes — 

To  see  the  bustling,  jostling  crowds,  en  masse, 

Forming  a  human  wall,  as  aimless  as 

A  wall  of  bricks,  is  entertainment  once 

So  often,  oftener  monotonous; 

A  life  from  which  war  is  a  healthful  change. 

Remember,  too,  the  law  of  contrast.    Greet 

With  pseudo-friendly  smile  a  cockney  lad 

And  flunkeydom  will  trumpet  forth  your  praise ; 

Forego  the  sumptuousness  of  but  one  meal 

And  your  empire  will  be  proud  to  starve; 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  275 

When  that  the  service  of  your  lordly  tools 

Have  failed  to  fetch  expected  fine  results, 

Make  some  low-born  son  of  your  domains 

Prime  minister  for  but  a  wee  brief  spell 

And  all  the  heads  that  reverently  bow 

To  monocratic  power  will  acclaim 

Your  kingly  fiat  as  the  people's  rule. 

Can  you  achieve  so  much  by  flattering  one 

Of  simple  mind,  what  can  you  not  attain 

By  feigning  some  regard  for  multitudes 

Effervescent  with  vacuous  vanity? 

Hint  at  the  merest  possibility 

That  you  might  wed  a  woman  somewhat  less 

Than  "princess  of  the  blood"  and  half  the  world — 

A  certain  half  of  it — will  glorify 

Your  liberality,  declaring  you 

The  foremost  champion  of  democracy ! 

Nor  is  that  all;  let  it  be  thought,  surmised 

That  you  might  wed  a  woman  born  and  bred 

In  the  United  States,  that  plebeian  nest 

Of  money  worshipers  and  oh,  who  knows 

But  all  the  male  and  female  aspirants 

For  pomp  and  splendor  and  exclusive  heights 

May  bring  about  a  brilliant  coup  d'etat 

That  will  regain  for  us  all  and  some  more 

Than  we  had  lost  in  seventeen  seventy-six?   .  .  . 

Aye,  urge  the  scrambling  multitudes  to  scale 

The  social  ladder,  whet  their  appetites 

With  fool-cnclianting  gilded  tales  about 

The  wondrous  doings  of  the  upper  caste 

And  they,  to  prove  their  own  delusions'  force, 

Will  scheme  against  each  other,  trip  or  knock 

To  earth  whoever  cannot  stand  the  pace. 


276  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

They'll  trample  truth  and  virtue  into  dust 

To  gain  positions  held  within  our  gift: 

In  politics,  for  privilege  to  bear 

The  odium  for  blunders  we  may  make; 

At  dinner,  for  the  honor  of  a  seat 

To  our  right  or  left,  or  next  to  these,  or  next ; 

At  state  affairs  for  notice  of  a  nod. 

And  at  receptions  for  the  privilege 

Of  being  "introduced  at  royal  court." 

In  treating  men  do  not  forget  their  clans 

All  hungry  for  distinction  in  your  eyes. 

Appease  their  appetite  once  in  a  while. 

But  all  the  time  design  to  whet  it  on. 

Have  due  regard  for  clannish  preference, 

This  deep,  unfailing  source  of  our  strength. 

Let  no  man  live  in  peace  who  dares  revolt 

Against  the  bondage  placed  on  him  by  birth. 

Each  day  each  man  be  asked  a  score  of  times 

"What  are  you?"    If  one  shows  but  waning  pride 

In  whatsoever  marks  or  mars  his  clan, 

Beware,  he  is  a  revolutionist! — 

Let  him  be  taunted  with  the  ingrates'  charge. 

Make  him  an  exile  wherever  he  lives. 

Have  him  denounced  a  loathsome  renegade, 

Make  life  for  him  as  hard  as  it  can  be 

So  that  exhausted,  weakened,  in  despair 

He  tumble  back  into  his  little  fold ; 

Or,  leastwise,  with  his  suffering  serve  to  scare 

The  other  ripening  minds  from  shaking  off 

The  chain  that  keeps  each  hostage  for  his  clan 

And  boasting  with  vicarious  honor  gained. 

As  you  succeed  the  world  will  call  you  wise. 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  277 

E  1 

Bears  and  lions  can  be  friends — Good  cousin, 

Known  amongst  the  animal  creation 

As  the  mightiest  lion  of  the  woodlands, 

Do  I  need  protest  my  full  devotion 

To  our  common  cause?    I  am  regarded 

Chief  Scare  Bear  the  Foremost  Fear  Inspirer, 

And  allow  to  let  it  go  at  that.     Still 

I  am  sorely  grieved  when  I  must  witness 

Old  hyenas  overawe  their  victims 

Just  by  walking  up  to  them  and  saying: 

Down  my  throat !  or  Nick  the  Bear  will  get  you. 

Lately  our  stars  darkened  in  declension — 

Pardon,  sir,  for  changing  style  or  scansion. 

But  the  thought  of  shameless  insurrection 

Causes  in  me  feverish  reflection. 

Ever  busily  rebellious  science 

Rapped  Divine  Grace  with  too  bold  defiance ; 

Multitudes  outgrew,  withstood  abuses 

Mummery  and  Iconry  produces ; 

Ignorance  my  precious,  old,  protective 

Friend  has  failed  to  be  fully  effective 

At  benumbing  and  in  thickly  clouding 

Men's  minds.     There  was  a  view!     And,  oh,  what 

shouting 
Of  delight  to  greet  each  novel  routing ! 
Pathways  grew  wide  from  the  ceaseless  groping 
For  more  light — and  hate  gave  way  to  hoping 
Through  the  contact  caused  by  swiftly  floating 
Commerce.     Then  the  coward,  blabbering,  bloating 
Dullard  of  an  ass.  Geographic  notion 
Failed  me;  for  inventors'  chemic  potion 


278  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Overcame  distance,  fused  air,  earth  and  waters 

Into  uncannily  compressed  quarters. 

Thus,  in  pride  of  but  hoped-for  attainments 

Some  would  dare  cast  off  their  slavehood  raiments. 

Tallest  turrets  of  the  largest  mansion 

Failed  to  instill  fear  by  mere  pretension; 

Many  fools  indulged  in  silly  visions. 

Many  savants  in  learned  renditions 

Of  a  pleasant  peaceful  dispensation — 

And  not  one  dream  has  been  so  inducted 

And  not  one  scheme  has  been  sn  concocted 

As  to  leave  secure  our  high  positions 

As  to  have  regard  for  the  anointed — 

Of  this  Earth — so  came  the  time  appointed 

Matters  not  by  whom  ...  to  restore  hoary 

Our  old,  blandishmentful  stock  in  trade. 

Ancestral  feuds  and  Monocratic  glory. 

Now  the  upheaval  is  of  dimensions 

To  shake  the  world  back  into  wild  contentions. 

Ha,  ha !     Who'll  try  to  unloose  mental  shackles 

Forged  in  fierce  heat  of  our  ruthless  battles? 

As  it  is  our  precious  royal  secret 

That  each  tumbling  generation  had  been 

Trapped  by  pitfalls  set  up  in  preceding 

Periods,  so  must  we  still  be  seeming 

Bent  on  state  affairs  while  deeply  sheeming 

To  keep  from  substance  democratic  dreaming. 

E  2 

Cannibal  chieftain  having  had  square  meal 
Of  plain-cooked,  steamed  and  broiled  human-weal. 
Feels  very  friendly  towards  paleface  chief; 
Would  have  him  glad  in  festivals,  as  lief 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  279 

Enjoy  the  gifts  of  God  while  juicy,  fresh, 
Than  leave  to  pelicans  nice  human  flesh. 
You  kill  too  many  for  too  little  fun, 
You  slay  a  thousand  men  and  not  eat  one! 
Of  course,  you  can't  like  everybody;  such 
As  you  not  like,  you  not  like  very  much ; 
And  whom  you  hate,  were  he  not  best  confined 
Into  the  roasting  pan  and  gladly  dined 
Upon?     Then  joyous  festival  arrive 
For  everybody  that  remains  alive. 
Why  be  so  finicky?     If  man  must  die 
May  he  not  just  as  well  be  made  mince  pie? 
I  am  a  cannibal,  yet,  realize. 
You  have  the  high  gift  to  spiritualize 
Material  things ;  so,  when  you  want  your  fill 
Of  human  flesh  you  only  curse  and  kill. 
But  why  be  cursing  quite  so  hard  and  why 
Cut  up  so  many?     Lord,  all,  hated  by 
Some,  can't  be  slain;  however  many  died 
All  hate  desires  can't  be  satisfied — 
All  wished-for  slayings  cannot  be  fulfilled, 
For  you  hate  more  than  ever  can  be  killed. 
So,  brother  chief,  I  give  you  this  advice 
To  still  the  thirst  for  human  sacrifice. 
Have  two  lists  made  of  all  within  your  state; 
One  black,  one  white,  sorting  them  separate 
In  full  view  of  your  realm.     Then,  declare 
That  everyone  shall  have  a  perfect  fair 
Chance  to  destroy  someone  within  your  gates. 
Then  draw  a  black  card ;  whom  it  designates 
Shall  have  a  constitutional  right  to  name — 
Or  babe  or  bby  or  girl  or  man  or  dame — 
One,  he  or  she  or  it  dislikes  the  most, 


280  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

To  be  conducted  to  a  funeral  post. 

And  there,  'midst  ceremonials,  sounds  of  lyre, 

And  stately  pomp  the  victim  shall  expire. 

Should  one  refuse  to  volunteer  a  name 

Whose  bearer  die  in  sacrificial  game, 

Let  such  a  one  be  forced  on  dreadful  pain 

Of  self  and  all  the  household  being  slain. 

To  draw  a  white  card.     Whose  name  is  thereon 

Shall  be  the  subject  of  the  funeral  song. 

(Of  course,  you  will  be  exempt  from  the  call 

Excepting  when  the  black  card  is  to  fall) — 

Repeat  as  often  as  you  like  and,  well. 

The  total  loss  remains  a  bagatelle. 

The  drama,  though,  enough  to  satisfy 

The  most  tear  burdened  moving-picture  eye. 

And  if  you  still  have  enemies  to  spare 

Please  send  them  to  me  for  a  dinner's  fare. 

E  3 

Lest  you  forget  let  me  recall  to  you 

The  great  importance  of  social  regard 

As  serves  the  purpose  of  monocracy. 

The  estimation  in  which  people  hold 

Each  other  is  the  pyramidal  base 

That  holds  the  structure  pointed  for  a  throne, 

If  so  devised.     Look  close  and  you  will  see. 

It  is  like  primal  dressing  in  the  road 

Beneath  the  glassy  surface  on  which  roll, 

Before  large,  fluttered  crowds,  in  sumptuous  coach 

The  kingly  household.     Safe  the  ruler  who 

Can  draw  the  multitude  into  a  jam 

To  see  him  pass.     Once  in  a  while  we  need 

Appear  in  public  to  receive  its  seal. 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  281 

Oh,  yes,  we  must  impose  upon  the  mob 

With  quaintly  glittering  parades'  dazzling  show 

Into  conceding  to  us  highest  rank. 

So  will  each  subdivision  fall  in  line 

And  help  to  spread  those  tentacles  which  draw 

Each  one  into  its  proper  play  and  all 

Into  the  vortex  of  glib  social  guile. 

Of  all  the  cards  held  by  a  royal  hand 

None  is  fraught  with  more  power  than  the  fine 

Thin  textured  one  of  social  preference. 

Throughout  its  boggy  maze  the  poisoned  weeds 

Of  Brahmanistic  caste-conceptions  sear 

Whomever  they  may  touch.    Its  poison  mist 

Engulfs  all  hate-nursed,  fool-fledged  selfish  hearts, 

Confining  them  to  this  one  sorry  thought : 

"I'm  better  born,  wiser  bred,  in  rank 

Of  higher  state,  and  holier  than  thou!" 

And  all  the  while  they  serve  the  one  on  top ! 

Glib  social  guile,  through  it  you  can  implant 

The  traits  of  loyalty,  no,  not  to  right 

And  truth,  to  public  welfare  and  the  holy  aims 

Of  one  great  noble  human  brotherhood. 

But  mere  servility,  a  willingness 

To  fight  and  die  for  someone  higher  up — 

Like  that  much  celebrated  bodyguard 

At  mention  of  which  French  breasts  swell  in  pride. 

The  guard  it  died  a  most  heroic  death — 

For  one  who  served  their  ethnical  conceit. 

Full  twenty  million  humans  bit  the  grass 

So  he  could  set  a  crown  on  his  own  head 

And  shove  a  throne  beneath  each  of  his  kin. 

Such  heroism  we  must  cultivate 

With  all  the  arts  of  social  guile.    If  some 


282  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Cannot  be  made  to  be  quite  willing  tools 

In  your  design,  why  break  them  into  it ! 

The  ones  who  can't  be  tempted  nor  cajoled 

Into  embracing  caste  allegiance, 

Let  them  be  anathema  !    Ostracize 

Them  and  their  families,  with  cutting  frowns 

Aloofness,  snobbery,  with  all  the  viles 

Unreasoning  pride  can  boast,  let  them  be  mauled 

And  battered,  cut,  humiliated  till 

This  social  stockade  inspires  deadly  fear. 

Beyond  the  common  strength  to  overcome. 


Hello!     This  is  the  Devil  thinking!     Good, 

I  hear,  through  space,  a  multitudinous  rush 

Into  attentive  listening  attitudes. 

Allons,  I  have  a  ticklish  subject  on 

My  mind.     It  is  not  of  the  sexual  sort, 

This  time.     No  charming  vampire  lady  who 

Outdoes  a  Turkish  harem  with  her  snares 

And  amative  proclivities ;  nor  yet 

A  hypnotist  who  with  mere  looks  can  cause 

A  maid,  against  her  will,  to  turn  mistress 

Inviting  him  into  her  boudoir. 

The  thing  that  tickles  me  now  is  a  right 

Which  had  been  questioned  in  some  bygone  days, 

But  now,  ascending,  comes  to  claim  its  own ; 

I  mean  the  right  to  lie !    Please,  understand, 

I  do  not  mean  light,  juvenile  attempts 

At  finding  facts  to  suit  the  circumstance. 

I  mean  the  right  of  lying,  or  to  tell 

In  sincere  manner  the  reverse  of  truth ! 

Lies  are  of  various  shades,  from  snowy  white 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  283 

To  murder  black.     The  whitest  lie  will  serve 

As  starter  and  each  darker  shade  a  step, 

As  in  a  winding  staircase,  leading  down 

Into  the  deepest  darkest  pit.     The  lie 

Is  coming  to  be  stylish.     Where,  before. 

The  right  to  lie  had  been  reserved  for  high 

Diplomatic  occasions,  now  the  scribes 

Give  it  promotive,  cheerful  countenance. 

And  not  in  vain !     As  gamblers  for  small  stake 

Encourage  gamblers  on  a  giant  scale, 

So  dabblers  in  untruth  give  actual 

Support  to  mighty  life-destroying  lies. 

If  telling  lies  is  proper  just  for  fun 

How  much  more  so  for  profit  ?     Therefore,  though 

To  bear  false  witness  was  forbidden  long 

Millennials  ago,  the  practice  is 

Of  daily  run.     Aye,  lies  are  daily  told 

With  such  effect  that  judges  came  to  look 

Upon  a  truthful  man  as  worst  of  all — 

An  unskilled  liar  from  whose  lips  the  lie 

Has  harder  sledding.     Clearly,  it  is  mete 

For  every  man  to  boldly  speak  a  lie 

Whenever  that  should  serve  his  purpose  best. 

What.?     Scruples.?    Throw  them  to  the  winds,  before 

The  other  party  steals  a  march  on  you. 

Consider  now,  if  lying  is  of  use 

In  little  private  deals  how  much  more  so 

Can  it  be  made  in  great  affairs  of  state.? 

Why  balk  at  trifles.?  .  Is  not  every  man 

To  do  and  die  for  king  and  fatherland.? 

And  is  it  not  much  more  congenial 

To  tell  an  untruth  than  in  truth  to  die.? 

The  man  who  dies  once  cannot  die  again. 


284  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

But  he  who  lies  may  tell  another  lie. 
Then,  friends  of  mine,  promote  this  glorious  art 
Of  lying,  from  small  shreds  of  polity 
To  combinations  of  the  widest  scope. 
So  will  the  world  be  ever  in  a  mood 
Of  grabbing  each  the  other  by  the  throat. 
And  wlien  not  thus  engaged,  breathe  in  a  trance- 
Holding,  shaking  each  other  by  the  ear. 

F  1 

Encore?     Obliged!     Satanic  prestige  gains 

By  obligating  seekers  for  my  grace. 

What  have  I  not  to  give? — But,  best  of  all, 

I  have  the  understanding  which  you  crave, 

The  know-how  of  the  wrestler  who  can  pin 

Another  wrestler's  shoulder  to  the  ground. 

Shall  I  impart  to  you  my  secret?     Yes, 

For  I  am  with  you  in  the  great  campaign 

Of  getting  more  for  less  or  much  for  naught. 

Doubt  not,  most  methods  may  be  well  employed ; 

Just  as  with  small  change,  each  fits  in  somewhere. 

Why  should  you  not  preach  heaven  if  for  this 

Hut-dwellers  grant  you  palace  space?     Why  not 

Preach  hell  if  that  will  scare,  intimidate 

Men  into  sweating  gold  for  you?    Why  not 

Say  anything  that  will  fetch  everything 

You  want?    Lies  have  a  backward  action,  but 

The  art  in  lying,  really,  is  to  shoot 

Them  off  without  an  unpleasant  recoil 

Obliterating  the  advantage  sought. 

Therefore  cast  slurs  upon  integrity ; 

Extinguish  promptings  of  sincerity ; 

Make  wearing  masks  an  everyday  affair 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  285 

For  old  and  young  instead  the  playful  eve 

For  children.     In  the  holy  names  of  tact, 

Culture,  politeness,  and  professional, 

Nice  requirements  make  propaganda  for 

The  fell  reverse  of  truth !    In  atmosphere 

So  exercised  germs  of  avarice  thrive. 

Bright  shines  the  diamond  motto :  "More  for  less," 

Or  better  yet,  "Get  much  for  nothing."     With 

That  much  in  mind;  abuse  of  confidence, 

Or  held  by  friend  or  someone  more  than  friend. 

Becomes  an  ingrained  disposition.     Then 

Strike  out  to  win,  let  who  must  fall  beneath 

Your  stroke.     Does  it  not  altogether  serve 

Them  right.?    Were  they  not  similarly  bent.? 

Preach  unto  everybody  his  success. 

Say:  lie  to  win  and  let  the  rest  go  hang! 

Rewards.?    How  stupid  of  you  not  to  see 

What  I  am  driving  at.    Living  in  close 

Familiarity  with  light  veined  lies 

Man  gets  accustomed  to  the  heavy  frauds, 

And  in  the  debris  of  much  broken  faith 

He  bends  his  neck  into  the  nearest  yoke. 

F  2 

Encore  !    Encore  !    Your  Damon  is  delighted ! 
What  should  not  one  do  to  secure  this  high 
And  jubilant  reception?     So,  here  goes 
Another  message  to  my  listening  friends: 
Behold  a  Sultan  in  his  seraglio 
'Midst  Oriental  splendor  while  away 
His  time;  a  number  fatted  females  dressed 
To  please  the  master's  vision  standing  by 
Aburninff  incense  for  their  lord.     They  wait 


286  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

With  wistful  glances  on  his  pleasure  and — 

No  sexual  repression  ever  need 

Derange  his  nervous  system,  nor  restraint 

Cheat  his  desires  of  an  earthly  joy! 

Will  such  a  man,  should  such  a  man  give  up 

His  handsome,  winsome,  toothsome  privilege 

While  lasts  the  maid-supply  in  fresh  relays? 

While  lasts  the  sudra  that  supplies  the  maids 

With  ornate  garments  and  the  fattening  meal? 

Is  it  for  him  to  pity  blighted  souls? 

An  orphan  girl  despoiled  of  her  hope? 

Or  one  worse  off  despoiled  of  her  love? 

Or  one  still  worse  off  ruined  in  her  health? 

Is  all  this  his  concern?     Surely  not. 

So  all  who  own  a  toothsome  sultanate 

Of  any  sort  hold  on  with  not  a  care 

Of  whose  life  goes  up  in  the  perfumed  smoke. 

As  for  the  means  to  hold  on  with  full  might: 

There  is  but  one  thing  ever  can  surpass 

Enslaving  qualities  of  a  well  timed, 

Well  spoken  lie  and  that  is  acting  it.   .  .   . 

F  3 

Encore!    Encore!    Encore!    Yet  more  you  want 
To  hear  from  Beelzebub?     But  friends  believe. 
There  is  no  more  connection  with  the  pit 
Of  hell  on  Earth  than  these  three  appetites: 
The  greed  for  wealth,  the  lust  for  power  and 
The  thirst  for  blood ;  they  all  thrive  by  a  lie. 

6 

Sweet  sounds  the  joyous  ring  of  our  reveille, 
A  wondrous  charm  leaps  from  out  its  notes 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  287 

And  turns  hosts  of  tired,  foot-sore  sleepers 

Into  a  mass  of  hustling  animation. 

Within  the  while  of  fleeing  moments  few, 

Each  unit  stands  all  ready,  spick  and  span. 

In  just  the  place  assigned ;  and  every  man 

His  sword  put  on,  his  trusty  Mannlicher 

Affectionately  holding  to  his  breast. 

The  legions  wait  a-panting  in  attention. 

Oh,  what  refreshing  sight!  what  vital,  life 

Rejuvenating  picture  to  behold! 

Like  thoroughbreds  upon  the  racing  turf. 

Each  member  of  the  swarming  regiments 

Strains  every  nerve  to  execute  commands. 

In  eager  mood  and  perfect  readiness 

The  multitude  of  trained  and  armed  men 

Will  strike,  demolish,  burn  whatsoever  told 

And  slay  whomever  they  are  set  to  kill — 

Indeed  absorbing  is  the  kingly  game. 

Gone  is  from  me  the  sickening  ennui 

Of  aimless,  joyless,  inactive  old  age. 

The  tremblings  of  my  limbs  depart  to  find 

A  lodgement  in  the  frames  of  younger  men — 

Why,  being  cherished  by  a  Shunammite 

As  David  had  been,  could  not  cause  my  blood 

To  circulate  more  lively,  nor  my  mind 

To  glow  more  radiant.     On  these  high  days 

My  thoughts  revert  to  thee.  Great  Warrior, 

To  thee,  whose  iron  nerve  and  granite  will 

Holds  all  the  world  in  check,  whose  fearless  heart 

Did  not  recoil  when  that  the  day  had  come 

For  this  the  greatest  conflagration  of 

The  earth.    Let  it  rage  on !    Let  flames  run  wild 

A  season  and  impart  their  awful  red 


288  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

To  overhanging  skies.     Let  multitudes 

Be  served  from  out  the  cup  I  had  to  drink 

The  deepest  draughts.   .   .  .  Ah,  they  will  not  down, 

The  memories  of  sorrow  and  of  pain; — 

My  brother  shot  as  they  shoot  worthless  dogs ; 

My  only  son  felled,  like  a  common  brawl ; 

The  mother  of  my  children  stabbed  to  death — 

Who  cried  because  the  blows  upon  my  head.f^ 

The  meanest,  weakest  in  our  vassalage 

Could  not  be  scourged  by  bloody  violence 

So  unappeased,  forsaken  by  revenge. 

Revenge  belongs  to  God,  but  are  we  not 

His  foremost  instruments?     And  yet  the  world 

Came  near  to  think  anointed  royal  life 

To  be  of  no  more  value  than  a  straw. 

But  now  the  underlings  can  realize 

The  value  of  a  crown  prince  to  the  world ! 

And  thou.  Great  Warrior,  art  the  chief  who  canst 

Most  poignantly  drive  the  lesson  home. 

Thou,  chosen  darling  of  the  reigning  gods, 

Who  addest  glittering  lustre  to  the  grace 

Divine  by  which  we  rule,  thou  art  the  core 

Of  my  concern.    My  heart  feels  love  for  thee ! 

I  feel  impelled  to  tell  thee  all  about 

The  secret  bolts  and  mainsprings  of  my  post; 

The  substance,  composition  and  the  gist ; 

The  synthesis  of  all  the  force  we  sway — 

That  you  and  yours  may  have  the  benefit 

Of  all  the  psychologic  radium 

The  gods  had  given  unto  me  and  mine 

To  tide  us  over  every  vicissitude 

And  lusty  turmoil  growing  out  these 

Vivid,  enchanting,  grand  tumultuous  days. 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  289 

What  brought  us  to  the  surface  in  the  world's 

History?     Contention  amongst  men. 

What  is  the  chief  bone  of  contention?     Now 

As  in  days  past ;  the  need  and  love  of  land. 

But  day  on  day  it  dawned  upon  the  world 

That  land  is  fructified  by  labor  and 

That  toilers  can  live  wherever  they  work — 

Though  we  receive  no  tribute  from  their  task ! 

Therefore  some  cabals  were  employed  to  hold 

Men  to  the  land — the  land  in  my  control. 

I  called  my  trusty  orators,  gave  them 

A  full  blown  banquet  and  addressed  them  thus: 

"Go  forth  ye  heralds  of  my  great  empire 

And  teach  the  people  to  be  patriots. 

To  love  the  land  with  such  intensity 

That  no  oppression  drive  them  from  the  spot. 

And  lest  attractions  here  or  there  might  draw 

The  toiler  from  his  tool,  besmirch,  decry. 

Defame  the  rest  of  all  creation."    They 

Went  on  their  errand  amongst  the  populace 

And  then  we  had  them  in  contention's  grip ; 

A  score  or  more  of  nationalities 

Forever  trying,  all  at  once,  to  be 

The  highest  toned  and  most  preferred  among 

The  groups  in  my  domain.     The  job,  then,  was 

To  keep  the  fires  of  jealousy  alive 

And  check  each  by  the  other's  burning  flame. 

So  came  I  to  control  a  large  empire — 

More  would  I  tell  thee  if  thou  art  disposed 

To  hear.     I  yearn  to  convey  to  you 

The  concentrated  essence  of  my  mind. 

Art  thou  inclined,  canst  thou  afford  to  grant 

Me  more  attention?     Wilt  thou  I  proceed? 


290  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

G  1 

Hail,  hail  thee  Veteran  Warrior  of  the  World, 

Most  venerable  emperor  on  earth! 

The  glory  of  thy  life  is  far  beyond 

A  comparison  that  my  busy  brain 

Could  now  discover.     None  the  less  I  hold 

Your  grand  achievements  in  due  reverence. 

The  stormy  days  of  Eighteen  Forty-eight 

Had  brought  you  as  a  youth,  but  in  his  teens, 

To  grace  a  mighty  throne  that  seemed  to  fall 

Ungracefully  apart,  and  as  you  stepped 

Unto  the  royal  seat  its  creaking  ceased ; 

Just  as  by  magic  order  was  restored 

Throughout  your  vast  domain,  the  noise  quelled. 

Wilful  Wiena's  insurrection  stilled, 

And  Hungary's  rebellion  was  put  down — 

Its  leaders  recognizing  your  ascent 

In  just  the  right  position  of  their  kind. 

Some  thirteen  of  them  dangling  in  the  air! 

Such  were  the  privileges  of  your  youth. 

The  czar  of  then  was  wise  enough  to  act 

In  your  behalf  and  sent  the  Slavic  hordes 

To  strengthen  his  by  upholding  your  rule. 

But  now,  the  czar,  grown  jealous  of  your  might 

And  fearing  that  its   splendors  would  eclipse 

His  own  and  then  himself  might  have  to  bend 

His  Autocratic  knees  to  beg  support 

From  you,  he  deftly  moved  a  pawn — 

Ha,  ha!     But  we  were  ready  with  our  knights 

And  castles,  ready  with  our  giant  guns 

Whose  booming  shook  this  paltry  little  world ; 

With  aircraft,  gas  bombs,  sleek  submersibles 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  291 

That  made  our  rivals  wince.    We  were  prepared! 

Of  course  we  had  been  ready,  had  we  not 

Been  in  position  to  command  respect 

In  style  and  manner  long  approved  by  all, 

Who  would  pay  us  regard  or  loan  us  gold? — 

Would  Slavs  or  Franks  or  even  Englishmen 

Be  kind  enough  to  stay  where  they  belong 

And  leave  the  land  of  others  unencroached 

But  for  the  forts  and  guns  that  keep  them  off? 

So  let  the  sword  decide !     We  can  aiford 

To  arbitrate  each  problem  as  of  yore.  .  .  , 

If  anything  comes  athwart  our  path 

To  hinder  our  ship  from  sailing  on 

We'll  cut  straight  through  and  keep  upon  our  course 

No  matter  what  or  who  would  tilt  the  boat, 

Be  it  a  bankers'  deputation  which 

Bemoans  the  ebbing  of  their  wherewithall, 

Or  be  it  news  that  some  we  doted  on 

Fell  lifeless  with  their  mowed-down  regiment ; 

Be  it  the  most  pretentious  thing  on  earth, 

The  Holy  See  imploring  us  to  change — 

Ha !    Were  a  quake  to  desolate  the  world, 

Leaving  but  few  to  prowl  upon  the  ground 

Where  million  striving  souls  had  lived  before. 

Still  would  we  have  to  continue  our  way, 

The  way  of  those  who  want  to  rule  supreme. 

And  all  the  while  and  everywhere  we  can 

Depend  on  censorship  to  choke  the  truth 

That  dares  sound  warning  or  cry  out  for  help ; 

Depend  on  subsidized  slick  troubadours 

To  popularize  song-ditties  in  our  praise; 

Depend  on  salaried  historians 

To  set  our  actions  down  as  wise  and  just. 


292  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

You  see  dear,  blessed,  Apostolic  King, 

Most  venerable  emperor  on  Earth, 

I  know  a  thing  or  two  myself.    Of  wit 

I  have  a  goodly  portion  and  of  wealth 

Large  subterranean  roomsful;  just  the  same, 

Some  more  of  both  were  better.    How  could  I 

Do  else  than  most  intensely  crave  for  more 

Of  monocratic  wisdom?     Send  on  your  thoughts, 

Your  every  word  will  be  enshrined  upon 

My  heart,  for  my  own  sake  and  in  behalf 

Of  my  exuberant  posterity. 

G  2 

Life,  be  it  ever  so  long,  hangs  on  a  thread. 
Dear  Friend,  I  have  received  a  warning  note 
From  Great  Headquarters  of  Mortahty. 
It  came  not  unawares  and  yet  the  flash 
Of  pain  cast  over  all  a  spell  of  gloom. 
Sad  admonitions  came  in  heavy  troops 
To  break  my  spirit,  but  I  fight  them  off. 
Extracting  cabals  from  my  fretful  dreams. 
One  such  a  dream  impressed  me  very  much. 
We,  you  and  I,  were  standing  on  a  rug. 
In  it  the  threads  were  living  souls  so  drawn 
As  would  make  standing  light  for  our  feet, 
And  pleasant  pictures  for  our  downward  glance. 
Knight  warriors  came  to  take  from  us  our  soft 
Position.     Quickly,  we  disposed  of  them. 
Giving  their  heads  into  the  hangman's  keep. 
Some  threads,  grown  overweary  of  our  weight. 
Swished  discomfort  and  muttered  some  complaints. 
These  cranky  threads  we  pulled  from  out  the  weave 
And  gave  them  for  the  jailer's  pillow  case. 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  293 

Then  restive  servants  round  about  began 

To  whisper  as  if  rising  to  resent 

Our  actions.     Quick,  we  made  an  end  of  this, 

Making  the  burden  heavier  the  while 

Exempting  just  enough  to  make  the  rest 

Comply.    And  still  we  felt  a  terror's  scourge ; 

We  felt  the  rug  move,  (underneath  our  feet;) 

With  jerky  pulls  which  kept  us  in  a  fix 

Of  falling  full  length  on  the  naked  floor. 

It  was  a  torturous  dream.    When  I  awoke 

I  called  a  squad  of  trusty  orators. 

And  after  treating  them  in  royal  style. 

Addressed  them  thus :  "The  kingdom  is  in  trouble. 

Go  forth  ye  precious  jewels  in  its  crown 

And  preach  the  sanctity  of  kingly  rugs  !" 

I  also  had  the  chiefest  orators 

Of  lawmaking  assemble  there.     To  them 

I  said :  "Defend  the  country  against  treason's  blow ! 

Rush  through  a  law  condemning  everyone 

Who  jerks  my  rug,  or  is  inclined  to  jerk. 

Or  may  be  apt  to  harbor  such  intent ; 

Or  who  abets  another  by  the  keen 

Suggestiveness  innate  in  jerky  words." 

Soon  you  will  see  and  hear  the  good  results. 

Cough. 

Oh,  why  can  I  not  lengthen  my  own  life 

With  all  the  years  I  have  cut  others'  short? 


G  3 

Die?     No!     Not  you,  most  venerable  friend. 

Your  record  sparkles  immortality, 

For  you  have  often  conquered  and  the  world- 


294  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Because  it  loves  the  joy  of  conquering — 

Holds  fast  upon  its  breast  the  conqueror 

In  permanent  embrace.     Each  little  dwarf 

Of  would-be  conqueror,  gloats  over  feats 

Of  most  remote  relatives,  be  they  as 

Far  back  in  time  as  Joshua;  in  consequence 

Nil  as  Napoleon ;  in  truth  no  more 

Than  tin-god  heroes  of  the  passing  day. 

Feed  the  world  what  it  is  hungry  for 

And  nothing  quite  so  whets  the  appetite 

Than  promise  of  a  glorious  victory. 

Who  is  ashamed  of  patriarchs  that  have 

By  right  of  might  despoiled  other  folks.? 

Who  casts  from  out  his  heart  the  feelings  of 

Superiority,  implanted  there 

In  ancient  error  or  by  ancient  wiles? 

Who  is  regretful  on  account  of  might 

Got  through  deception  in  ancestral  days? 

Who  disavows  proud  sounding  racial  claims 

Derived  from  subjugating  other  kinds? 

Who  expiates  in  steadfast  rectitude 

The  gain  of  fathers  got  by  loaded  dice? — 

Such  men  are  lost  forever  to  our  cause. 

Our  cabals  can  have  no  effect  on  them. 

As  they  increase  in  numbers  we  decrease 

In  strength.    They  are  the  jerkers  of  your  dream 

Wherein  the  rug  beneath  our  feet  was  pulled 

With  reckless  suddenness ;  and  every  time 

A  soul  is  drawn  from  under  us  we  feel 

The  fated  jerk!    Let  us  be  watchful,  then. 

Let  poets  glorify  and  bards  retell 

Each  incident  of  conquest  in  such  bright 

High  colors  that,  intoxicated  by 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  295 

The  glamor  of  their  art,  recruits  come 
In  endless  stream  to  serve  our  pet  design. 

H 

Soothsayer  Zimzim  to  his  king:  salaam. 

New  sovereign,  distributer  of  fame 

And  wealth  and  power,  in  whose  mighty  hands 

The  lives  of  men  are  but  like  brittle  threads, 

Let  me  prognosticate,  from  yon  high  stars, 

Your  future  and  your  past.     With  utmost  care 

I  cast  your  horoscope,  and  sure  enough 

I  see  your  might  comes  from  an  ancient  source. 

Back  in  the  dim  past  human  beings  were 

Attacked  constantly  by  bloodthirsty  beasts. 

Ferocious  animals  to  slaughter  which 

Was  a  compelling  need  for  human  life's 

Existence  upon  Earth.     Your  sires  were 

Brave,  strong  and  skillful  with  the  club  and  spear, 

Excelling  in  the  art  of  killing  beasts. 

As  every  art  gives  joy,  the  shedding  of  beasts'  blood 

Became  a  blissful  boon  instead  of  hard 

Or  loathsome  task.     Soon  Earth  was  cleared  of  wild 

Ferocious  beasts,  but  still  the  love  of  art 

In  killing  craved  a  satisfaction,  thus 

Bloodthirstiness  of  the  ferocious  beasts 

Became  imbedded  in  the  human  breast. 

Surpassing  others  in  their  age  and  clime, 

Your  sires  strode  to  foremost  eminence. 

At  length  but  men  remained  whose  killing  came 

Within  the  scope  of  art.    Not  one  or  two. 

For  that  is  simple  work;  who  cannot  play 

The  mean  assassin's  role  if  he  but  will? 

But  killing  in  the  mass,  that  quenched  the  thirst 


296  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

In  later  centuries  and  still  does  quench 

The  throat  parched  by  primeval  thirst  for  gore. 

As  foremost  passion  guides  the  heart,  you  will 

Ever  contrive  to  find  a  fine  excuse 

For  standing  armies,  floating  arsenals 

Which  may  be  flung  into  a  grand  melee 

Most  any  time.     And  surely  you  will  do 

It  ere  you  die,  else  what  for  have  you  lived? 

The  death-cries  ringing  from  the  battlefields 

Need  not  disturb  your  equanimity. 

The  dismal  cloud  of  untold  agony 

Rising  from  the  quivering  mass  of  flesh. 

From  spattered  blood  and  torrid  flow  of  tears 

Serves  but  as  buoyage  for  your  happiness. 

Were  it  not  so,  oh,  great  king! — and  small  kings — 

Thrones  would  be  abdicated  in  a  rush. 

But  as  you  wish  to  rule  let  others  serve 

Your  purpose  in  the  name  of  bravery! 

Let  them  cut  loose,  shoot,  hit,  stab,  maim ;  the  while 

Your  trumpeters  sound  forth  this  clarion  call; 

Come  all  aboard  for  glory  and  for  fame ! 

The  gory  fields  of  war  produce  of  both 

Great  quantities,  enough  to  quell  the  most 

Consuming  thirst  for  them !    And  men  will  come, 

Nor  need  one  know  fell  disappointment's  pall. 

The  swords  of  war  are  such  great  instruments 

Of  glory  that  not  only  victorious  men 

Receive  the  world's  applause  but  even  those 

Who  fall  as  vanquished  victims  on  the  field 

Become  grand,  laurel-wreathed  martyrs  in 

The  estimation  of  the  populace 

Or  this  side  or  beyond  a  visioned  line. 

Oh,  monocratic  lord  you  have  the  field.   .   .   , 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  297 

H  1 

Magnanimous  princess,  first  and  famous  child 

Of  one  who  rules  a  mighty  stretch  of  land 

Upon  this  Earth  and  is  chief  in  command 

Of  many  million  souls  that  vegetate 

Thereon,  I  raise  my  right  hand  to  salute 

Your  majesty.     I  hope  you  will  accept 

The  well-meant  greetings  of  a  warrior  young 

Whose  father  married  on  the  battlefield 

The  daughter  of  his  vanquished  enemy — 

In  fact  there  is  no  cause  of  happening 

To  mar  or  bar  our  friendly  intercourse; 

Much  rather  have  we  reason  to  proceed 

On  intimately  confidential  terms. 

A  brother  of  mine  is  in  azigous 

As  sisters  of  you  are  in  single  state, 

Which  fact  projects  the  probability 

Of  nuptials  at  which  folks  of  both  domains 

Will  break  forth  in  sky-splitting  jubilees. 

So,  even  though  our  fathers'  armies  are 

Engaged  in  life  devouring  war,  just  now, 

We  need  not  stop  our  telepathic  chats. 

We  always  liked  so  well.    Oh,  princess  sweet, 

I  have  the  finest  time  of  my  young  life ! 

Somewhere  in  France  wave  after  wave  of  men 

I  hurl  into  agony  and  death — 

How  willingly  they  march  forth  to  be  slain ! 

Now,  precious  friend,  I  may  as  well  confess 

That  I  enjoy  this  wondrous  spectacle. 

Beyond  my  anticipatory  dreams 

Do  I  enjoy,  after  so  many  years 

Of  tedious  practice,  long  rehearsals  and 


298  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Most  livid  tensive  expectation  this, 

The  real  performance.     Why,  the  cannon's  roar, 

The  flying  squadrons'  whirr,  exploding  bombs. 

The  leaden  pellets  whistling  through  the  air 

(But  have  no  fear  on  my  account,  my  tent 

Is  pitched  upon  a  distant  mountain  top 

From  where  the  view  is  fine  and  surely  safe.) 

The  rifle  shots,  the  fiery  battle  shouts, 

The  sabers'  clang  and  curses,  yells  and  screams, 

All  coalesce  into  a  symphony 

The  like  which  great  musicians  might  essay 

To  imitate  upon  a  puny  stage 

But  never  can  completely  reproduce. 

For  this  ambitious  youths  march,  to  be  slain. 

Most  willingly — but  pray  why  should  they  not.'' 

(Waste  not  on  them  your  august  sympathy.) 

This  chance  of  death  is  but  another  name 

For  what  my  men  regard  a  chance  of  life. 

Now  is  it  within  reach,  advancement  is 

Advancement  of  the  one  beyond  the  rest — 

Now  has  their  chance  of  immolation  come. 

And  how  they  longed  for  it !     How  tremblingly 

Expectant  they  would  hear  the  protocol 

That  set  one  just  a  piteous  rung  or  two 

Above  a  group  of  other  craving  souls ! 

War  means  salvation  for  such  appetite. 

The  sergeant  turns  captain  in  a  day. 

The  captain  swings  forth  to  a  general's  state 

In  scarce  as  many  weeks  as  it  took  years 

In  warless  times.     And  oh,  the  swelling  pride 

Of  all  who  can  claim  kinship  to  such  men ! 

Yes,  willingly  they  go  forth  to  be  slain, 

But  then,  why  should  they  not?     Consider,  dear, 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  299 

The  men  in  civil  life  will  fight  for  less 

And  die  for  nothing  or  not  near  as  much 

As  getting  credit  for  heroic  death. 

And  then  the  weird  noises,  jumbled  plaints 

Of  mangled  multitudes,  their  dying  gasps 

Their  whimpering,  whining,   groaning  through   the 

day 
In  hospitals  surcharged  with  misery, 
Is  not  this  a  most  fitting  grand  refrain 
For  royal  ears?    Thanks,  God,  we  have  our  share. 
Just  now  I  heard  the  pleasure-fraught  good  news 
That  by  it  one  of  your  own  household  has' 
Been  rescued  from  the  lightless  living-death 
Of  feeble-mindedness.     This  song  so  fit 
For  royal  hearts  made  such  a  strong  appeal 
To  your  dear  sister's  soul  that  it  emerged 
From  bleak  stupor  and,  purged  from  ennui. 
Gained  strength  enough  to  have  some  rays  of  sense 
Enlodge  therein.     How  deeply  I  rejoice 
At  her  recovery  I  cannot  tell, 
But  this  I  know — and  will  to  you  confide — 
That  it  is  worth  the  heads  of  million  slaves, 
The  slaughtering  of  scores  of  subject  hordes. 
To  have  a  princess  of  so  grand  a  house. 
Of  such  illustrious  and  distinguished  blood. 
Luckily  rescued  from  the  dark  abyss 
Of  utter,  hopeless  imbecility. 
Such  are  the  uses  of  the  kingly  game, 
The  noble  game  of  ruthless  violence. 
Compared  to  it  the  gripping,  tripping  moves 
Of  Bear  and  Bull  played  at  the  Stock  Exchange 
Is  dull  and  insipid.     Oh,  Violence ! 
Thou  foremost,  highest,  most  respected  part 


300  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Of  our  godhead,  the  Great  Threefold  Trinity, 
Give  me  this  day  your  grace  to  rule  supreme, 
By  right  of  might,  the  shining  cynosure 
Of  power  worshipping  eyes  and  easily 
I'll  marshal  them  to  serve  me  further  on. 
For  those  who  worship  power  furnish  that 
Which  helps  us  to  remain  in  full  control. 

H  2 

Thanks,  princes,  for  your  precious  compliment, 

I  do  not  know  all  cabals  of  my  house. 

My  knowledge  though,  I  gladly  share  with  you. 

A  first  move  for  the  royal  game  of  war 

Is  setting  up  of  prizes  to  enlist 

The  valorous  knights  of  interest-coupons. 

Most  willingly  they  let  the  war  dogs  go 

Into  the  fray!     And  pray  why  should  they  not.? 

Were  they  not  bent,  did  they  not  scheme  each  day, 

Each  for  himself,  to  get  and  hold  more  wealth 

Than  anybody  else?     How  long  they  schemed, 

How  long  they  dreamed !     Now  fortunes  are  in  sight, 

The  trader's  comer  is  his  fortress  strong; 

A  thousand  scramble  for  the  million  goal 

And  many  more  grab  for  the  minor  stakes. 

Not  one  considers  that  his  profit's  flow 

Is  desecrated  by  the  flow  of  blood.   .   .   . 

Indeed,  our  prize  manipulation  is 

Of  great  importance.     We  must  have  a  prize 

To  suit  each  heart,  when  marching  men  to  die — 

For  someone  higher  up,  so  they  shall  not 

Stumble  on  the  mutinous  question  why? 

To  those  who  strive  with  might  and  main  to  add 

A  glittering  jewel  to  the  crown,  we  give 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  301 

A  standing  in  the  hallowed  circle  of 

The  ruling  house.    Its  lustre  thus  increased 

Repays  them  with  a  ray  or  two  of  shine 

That  by  reflection  falls  upon  themselves. 

In  lack  of  nothing  else  they  starve  for  fame 

And  as  chief  steward  of  this  airy  meal 

We  have  them  do  our  bidding.     Highmost  chiefs 

Obey  as  ever  little  child  obeyed. 

The  general  harshest  to  inferiors 

Before  us  trembles  like  an  aspen  leaf 

And  as  our  frown  will  shake  him  in  his  boots 

Just  so  our  praise  will  lift  him  out  of  them. 

Then  we  have  recognition  to  hand  out. 

This  costs  us  nothing  yet  brings  in  a  lot. 

A  special  reference  to  some  one's  act 

Will  make  his  chest  expand  an  inch  or  two. 

Then  we  have  medals,  badges,  feathers,  pins ; 

What,  think  you,  will  not  men  perform  for  these? 

The  iron  cross  or  silver  medal  will 

Transport  him  into  high  heavenly  bliss. 

The  lure  of  medals  can  lead  men  to  kill 

And  maim  or  fall  a  victim  mauled  and  maimed, 

And  he  who  comes  back  from  the  battlefield 

Distorted,  shot  in  half,  his  eyes  and  ears. 

His  arms  and  legs  lost  in  the  bloody  fray ; 

Why,  do  you  know  medallions  on  his  breast 

Will  make  him  happy ;  envied  by  the  rest 

Of  all  his  kind,  he  will  with  what  is  left 

Of  him  praise  God  for  such  a  grand  career ! 

And  would  you  know  the  reason  for  it  all? 

Life  put  combativeness  into  man's  heart 

So  he  could  fight  his  way  from  out  the  cave. 

Our  task  is  not  to  let  in  dormancy 


302  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

This  trait  too  long,  but  (after  nursing  it 

For  certain  lengths  of  time  in  devious  ways) 

Through  active  salts  of  pride  bring  it  to  life 

And  have  it  serve  our  monocratic  aim. 

So,  princess  sweet,  rejoice  with  me  in  this 

Our  high  auspicious  hour,  even  though 

The  armies  of  your  father  and  of  mine 

Are  now  aclash  in  war.    This  is  a  game 

Befitting  our  kind.     What  if  it  comes 

That  like  in  other  games  one  must  lose  out.? 

We  still  remain  of  equal  rank  and  friends — 

A  brother  of  mine  is  in  azigous 

As  sisters  of  you  are  in  single  state 

Which  fact  projects  the  probability 

Of  nuptials  at  which  folks  of  both  domains 

Will  break  forth  in  sky-splitting  jubilees. 

H3 

I  heard  you  thinking,  royal  sister:  what 

May  be  the  object  of  man's  ceaseless  fight 

To  rank  above  his  fellows?    Well,  I  know 

The  secret.     It  is — as  with  you  and  me — 

Impassioned  wish,  a  burning,  hot  desire 

To  be  something  that  others  cannot  be; 

To  own  something  that  others  cannot  own ; 

To  get  something  that  others  cannot  get ; 

Put  all  together:  special  privilege. 

Why  do  you  laugh,  my  queenly  sister,  why.?* 

I  did  not  speak  of  highest  privilege 

But  special  rights.    That  native  fancy  craves 

However,  unsubstantial  it  may  be. 

Most  worthwhile  things  are  common,  certainly. 

To  have  the  faculties  for  plying  art ; 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  303 

To  understand  the  pulsing,  heaving  mind 

Of  history  and  then  to  pierce  into 

The  future's  world,  seeing  as  far  ahead 

As  vision  carries  to  the  backward  shores; 

To  know  by  name  our  great  eternal  friends 

The  constellations  and  their  heavenly  chiefs; 

To  greet  our  resurrected  kin  each  day 

In  bud  and  leaf  and  bloom  throughout  the  fields ; 

To  live  and  love  and  work  and  hope 

In  this  great  world  is  privilege  enough ! 

Indeed,  obscurity  and  simple  life 

Hold  all  the  joys  of  true  intrinsic  worth. 

Attainment  is  of  effort  not  degree. 

But  it  is  great  good  fortune  for  us ;  who 

Are  traders  in  the  stock  market  of  life 

To  have  real  values  unrecognized  while 

Fictitious  ones  may  soar  as  suits  us  best. 

Thus  men  will  slave  themselves,  and  will  enslave 

Their  fellowmen  for  some  old  parchment's  touch 

That  others  cannot  easily  attain — 

Some  day,  the  veil  will  fall  from  off  man's  eyes ; 

But  while  so  many  souls  in  restless  fray 

Are  gasping  for  preferment  and  contend 

For  decorations  in  our  gift,  let  us 

Dispose  of  these  in  manner  and  at  times 

So  calculated  as  to  bring  about 

Men's  subjugation — for  our  benefit. 


Chief  lord  of  many  brave  victorious  hosts 
Your  new  compeer  is  greeting  you  with  but 
A  hasty  greeting  and  a  hasty  bow.   .  .  . 
For  I  have  much  to  tell ;  in  fact,  I  wish 


304  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

To  share  with  you  each  weighty  postulate 

My  wise  predecessor  addressed  to  me 

Before  he  died.     I  fain  would  ruminate 

Upon  the  puzzles  of  the  great  beyond 

In  true  poetic  style,  with  similes 

Of  rustling  Autumn  leaves  in  moaning  winds, 

Unanswerable  questions  bleak  array, 

Pathetic  cries  of  deeply  humbled  souls, 

Emotion  gripping  desolateness  wrought, 

Descriptions  calculated  to  appeal 

For  tears ;  but  time  calls  otherwise.    God's  will 

Let  it  be  done !    Especially  when 

Agreeable  to  us.    It  was  His  august  will 

That  several  ones  who  blocked  the  narrow  path 

To  highest  eminence  shall  be  cleared  off 

By  unexpected  strikes  of  cruel  death — 

So  when  the  old  man  went  to  his  reward 

(Whatever  that  may  mean)  I  was  not  shy. 

Reluctant  or  abashed  in  any  way 

To  grasp  the  reins  of  several  governments 

Belonging  to  me  as  a  matter  of 

Inheritance.    What  will  I  do  mth  it  ? 

Have  no  misgivings  in  regard  to  that. 

Oh,  glorious  supreme  model  of  our  kind, 

Have  no  misgivings  in  regard  to  that! 

I  know  the  ancient  cabalistic  rules 

Of  our  house,  and  all  besides  I  have 

The  special,  deep  inductions  of  our  dear 

Departed  friend,  whose  admonitions  I 

Engraved  upon  my  memory  and  now — 

At  his  request  pass  on  to  you.     He  said : 

"Our  one  task  is  to  think  ahead  and  shape 

Affairs  to  serve  our  wish,  now  while  our  men 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  305 

Upon  the  battlefields  blow  forth  their  souls 

As  so  much  worthless  chaff;  and  all  the  rest, 

Ashamed  of  grief,  in  glowing  ecstasies 

Unquestioningly  pay  the  funeral  bills; 

Now  is  it  meet  for  us  to  think  ahead, 

Design  the  course  and  mold  the  groove  in  which 

The  coming  spell  of  peace  shall  be  compelled 

To  squeeze  its  quivering  form  so  that  it 

Remain  our  trusty  handmaid  as  of  yore. 

A  ruler's  chief  role  ever  is  to  rule. 

Maintain  himself,  no  matter  how  the  waves 

Of  rolling  time  and  haltless  history 

May  surge  or  crash,  keep  safe  upon  the  top 

Ensconced  in  adulatry,  towering  high 

Above  the  many-minded  multitude. 

As  we  enjoy  controlling  other  lives 

So  those  affected  ever  hate  control. 

Wherefore,  the  crux  of  power  lies  in  force. 

Judicious  saber-rattling  has  its  use, 

But  once  so  often  sabers  must  cut  loose 

To  let  the  chaffing  world  know  who  is  boss — 

Then  do  things  on  a  grand  scale,  let  the  clash 

Be  hot  beyond  the  thermal  state  of  Hell ; 

Let  furies  of  destruction  issue  forth 

To  give  their  vainest,  wildest,  weirdest  dance ; 

Demolish  homes,  dismantle  factories, 

Turn  grain  fields  into  ashen  craters  and 

While  all  this  happens  keep  perfectly  cool.  .   .  . 

From  smoking  ruins  helpless  misery 

Implores  the  void  for  succor,  but  mind, 

Its  piercing  cries  are  not  for  our  ears. 

Its  scorching  sighs  are  not  to  come  within 

A  sensing  distance  to  the  royal  heart — 


306  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Fear  not  the  wrath  of  Heaven  nor  of  men, 
The  people  can  be  easily  convinced 
That  all  is  for  the  best ;  a  fine  increase 
Of  efforts ;  high  standards  of  sacrifice ; 
Rejuvenation  of  a  tepid  life. 
Send  forth  your  orators  and  they  will  show 
That  such  destruction  is  a  God-sent  boon. 
And  whatsoever  man  is  satisfied 
With  heaven  is  content  to  let  it  so." 

I  1 

Emerging  victor  from  a  sinking  spell 

The  emperor  smiled  kindly  and  resumed: 

"Be  not  content  with  conquering  by  force 

Alone,  but  set  your  mighty  talking  guns 

To  work  (from  ramparts  of  morality,) 

Completion  of  the  job.    No  sooner  has 

A  city  fallen,  even  while  the  flames 

Are  leaping  to  the  skies  and  troops 

Of  yours  raise  structures  to  the  ground,  call  for 

Charity.     Not  at  your  cost,  nor  at  expense 

Of  your  financial  chiefs  whose  swollen  purse 

Is  bursting  full  with  blood-transmuted  gold ; 

But  let  them  stand  forth  in  the  market-place. 

In  lobbies  of  the  banks  and  public  halls 

And  there  with  copious  crocodilian  tears 

Entice  the  toiler  to  give  up  his  wage — 

Their  songs,  you  know,  in  all  conceivable  keys 

Sound  very  much  and  everywhere  the  same: 

*Give  for  the  motherless  babes 

Give  for  the  destitute  blind 

Give  for  the  shelterless  men 

Give  for  betrayed  womenkind  :  v  < 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  307 

Give  for  the  blameless  and  blamed 

Give  for  the  crippled  and  maimed 

Give  for  the  victims  of  this 

Give  for  the  victims  of  that 

Give,  give,  give  and  again 

Give,  give,  give,  give  because 

We  like  the  game  as  it  runs 

We  like  the  prevalent  laws !' 

Of  course,  they  do  for  while  the  tocsin  rings, 

While  sympathetic  talk  is  carried  on 

And  all  collection  strategies  are  worked 

They  can  hold  on  to  their  own  million  rolls 

Not  seldom  doubling  them.     The  ruined  town 

Lies  prostrate  at  your  feet,  a  moving  mass 

Of  helpless  flesh  steeped  into  misery. 

And  then  you  offer  help !     Cannot  you  see 

What  charity  of  this  kind  is  good  for.'' 

It  helps  to  bear  injustice,  cruel  wrong. 

And  makes  the  victims  give  their  gratitude 

To  those  who  took  all  else  in  life  from  them.   .  .  . 

Then  if  you  hand  a  microscopic  part 

Of  unrequited  wealth  as  a  clear  gift 

To  sufferers  for  your  ambition's  sake, 

A  host  of  high-toned  beggars  will  acclaim 

Your  deed  an  act  of  grand  philanthropy 

And  your  own  self  a  knight  of  charity !" 

But  do  we  need  this  superfluous  regard 

Of  multitudes  already  out  of  head.'' 

I  ventured  to  inquire  and  the  great 

Old  man  replied  with  double  emphasis: 

"Again,  remember,  always  bear  in  mind 

That  force  of  Monocratic  power  comes 

Of  Democratic  weakness  fostering  which 


308  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Enhances  values  of  the  royal  state. 

And  what  could  do  more  harm,  undermine 

To  deeper  depths  the  body  politic 

Than  virtue-claiming  wide-spread  beggary 

That  puts  dependence  on  a  premium 

And  pauperizes  both  those  who  receive 

And  those  who  give?     Good  Samaritan  souls, 

They  clear  the  field  for  repetition  of 

The  things  insuring  our  security." 

I  2 

A  fitful  breathing  broke  the  flow  of  words 

That  came  like  precious  pearls  from  the  lips 

Of  this  grand  emperor.     I  really  came 

To  love  him,  although  several  years  ago 

He  frowned  upon  my  love  (she  could  not  boast 

Of  high  enough  exalted  origin). 

When  that  I  was  to  get  as  heritage 

All  he  possessed,  his  spirit  seemed  sublime, 

These  words  he  said,  after  a  little  rest : 

"You  often  heard  and  often  will  repeat 

The  claim  that  we  rule  by  the  grace  of  God; 

But  understand  that  is  not  so.    This  fib. 

This  pious  lie  is  fed  unto  the  mass 

Because  it  is  a  never-failing  bait 

Which  people  love  to  swallow;  your  real  strength 

Comes  from  the  Earth.     Do  not  permit  your  mind 

To  go  astray  on  speculative  paths 

Of  brain-stormed  theories  regarding  Right. 

The  base  on  which  a  throne  must  be  maintained 

Is  force,  brute  force ;  the  sword,  the  knout,  the  gun ; 

And  all  your  moves  and  countermoves  throughout 

The  labyrinth  of  fickle  politics 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  309 

Must  serve  to  keep  their  power  keen  and  fresh. 
Men  seek  protection  by  your  bayonets 
And  in  your  favor  highest  saving  grace. 
The  king's  good  will  is  royal  stock  in  trade, 
Economize  with  every  part  of  it. 
A  condescension  of  whatever  kind 
Can  fetch  returns  of  stupendous  size. 
Each  kindly  act  must  be  so  advertised 
That  several  nations  utter  thanks  for  it. 
A  friendly  glance  upon  a  passing  child, 
Or  sympathy  shown  for  one  in  distress, 
Shall  find  laudation  in  the  several  tongues 
Of  your  domain  done  with  such  fine  effect 
That  men  regard  you  as  God's  prototype 
And  punish  every  whispered  syllable 
Of  disrespect  concerning  you  or  yours 
As  blasphemy!     So  doped  the  several  groups 
Contending  for  your  favor,  strive  and  fight 
To  make  your  faintest  wish  an  iron  will. 
The  fiercer  their  contention  just  so  much 
The  prouder  they  will  be  of  wrongs  achieved 
Against  each  other's  rights  and  liberties — 
And  those  who  may  survive  the  blind  melee 
Will  herald  it  forth  as  prosperity !" 

I  3 

Hark,  more  of  monocratic  cabals  came 

Within  my  understanding  from  the  Grand 

Old  Man  ;  for  though  he  weakened,  he  spoke  on  : 

"Feed  false  conceits  to  each  self-centered  heart 

So  that  the  core  of  it  be  tinder  dry 

Quite  ready  any  time  to  be  devoured 

In  holocausts  when  that  such  is  the  thing 


310  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Required  for  maintaining  your  decrees 

As  arbiter  of  human  destiny." 

I  trembled  in  delight  to  hear  such  grand 

Exalted  counselling  and  listened  on: 

"It  matters  nothing  how  the  flames  are  fed 

Through  splash  of  blood  or  clash  of  interests ; 

Use  any  means  at  all,  in  any  way, 

So  there  be  conflict  and  its  fires  burn 

With  love-excluding,  soul-consuming  fire; 

Until  what  is  left  of  the  shriveled  heart 

Becomes  as  worthless  as  a  peanut  shell. 

The  means  for  it.?    There  is  no  end  to  them: 

In  palace  born  never  fail  to  play 

Your  part  'midst  proper  pompous  settings  and 

No  matter  how  the  tax  machinery  squeaks 

Or  how  its  grim  extortions  chafe  and  choke, 

You  live  in  more  inflated  high-flown  pomp 

Than  all  the  rest  ambitious  so  to  live.  .  .  . 

Thus  will  you  give  a  motive  cause  and  aim 

Perpetual  for  envious  rivalries. 

In  politics  let  men  play  all  the  tricks 

Of  crafty  statecraft  in  the  fond  belief 

It  serves  their  purpose  while  they  all  serve  yours ! 

Attempting  to  come  nearer  to  your  plane 

Where  room  is  scarce,  they  push  and  struggle  on 

And  trip  each  other  with  the  devil's  skill, 

Each  justifying  its  own  gluttony 

For  foul  advancement  with  the  decadence 

Of  all  the  rest.     You  need  but  smile 

On  one  or  on  the  other  and  the  flames 

Of  envy  will  flare  up  between  the  rest." 

Entranced  I  barkened  to  the  glorious 

Epistles  of  a  mind  that  seemed  to  grow 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  311 

In  luminosity  each  passing  hour. 

Praise  I  too  much  the  light?    Consider  this : 

"Though  you  may  teach  your  shackled  underlings 

To  place  reliance  in  the  will  of  God 

You  must  not  do  so.     Don't  rely  on  chance 

Nor  act  the  will  of  any  but  your  own — 

Prognosticating  carefully  effects 

Of  every  move,  make  proper  use  of  each. 

So,  knowing  multitudes  are  hungry  for 

The  morsels  falling  from  your  table's  edge 

Just  let  them  scramble  for  it ;  that,  too,  brings 

On  conflict  which  you  ever  must  promote." 

But  how?     I  asked,  and  as  his  answer  came 

I  held  each  word  for  future  reference. 

Hark  to  the  monarch's  wisdom,  this  he  said 

In  slow  deliberate,  impressive  style : 

"Have  no  two  men  feel  as  of  equal  worth 

And  play  the  feud  of  each  against  the  rest. 

Some  love  to  get  paid  for  preaching  beliefs; 

Through  them  instil,  imbed  in  every  breast 

A  strong  belief  in  slavery  until 

Each  man  believes  down  in  his  very  heart 

That  he,  by  nature,  is  an  underHng. 

Have  no  two  men  feel  as  of  equal  worth 

But  have  in  each  impounded  a  belief 

Of  low  or  high  estate  and  grades  between 

Designed  for  storing  mutual  jealousies. 

And  mark!     They  must  be  fed  and  kept  alive; 

With  all  the  arts  maintain  the  jealous  eye 

Amongst  your  unterthans.     There  must  be  guile 

In  plentiful  abundance,  fatuous  goals, 

Cross  purposes,  ugly  imbroglios. 

Freak  litigations,  shrill  discordant  notes, 


312  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

A  constant  clamor  of  conflicting  wills 

To  make  the  monarch's  fiat  welcome.     So 

Let  every  one  be  imbued  with  the  wish 

To  have  some  one  beneath,  ply  under  ply 

Down  to  the  lowest  pit  of  Hell  on  Earth. 

Again,  remember  conflict  is  the  bread 

Of  life  for  monocrats  to  prosper  on ; 

So,  leave  your  people  in  no  better  strength 

Than  gives  your  prowess  plethoric  display.   .  .  . 

With  laws  galore  unequalizing  men. 

Set  them  against  each  other,  all  the  time. 

By  every  means,  in  all  conceivable  ways. 

So  they  will  growl  most  every  time  they  meet 

And  gnash  their  teeth  though  forcing  up  a  smile 

To  hide  the  twitchings  for  revengeful  bite. 

Thus  trained  to  think  perversely  and  to  hope 

For  power  to  destroy  each  other's  kind 

You  always  can  control  them  by  their  want 

And  worship  of  the  brute  force  which  they  lack. 

With  them  the  great  brute  force  which  you  command 

Discounts  the  sunlight  of  the  universe — 

Discountenance  a  proposition  and 

The  mass  of  underlings  will  fly  from  it 

As  from  a  bad  contagious  disease ; 

Ignore  a  man  and  you  may  rest  assured 

He  will  be  shunned  by  every  seeker  of 

Your  grace;  condemn  his  printed  word  and  it 

Will  be  consumed  in  leaping  flames  upon 

The  public  square.    A  frown  from  you  will  wilt 

Most  any  life,  through  houndings  undergone; 

A  smile  of  yours  will  raise  to  eminence 

In  men's  esteem  most  any  flattering  ape — 

Such  is  the  influence  of  kingly  rule," 


CABALS  OF  MONOCRACY  313 

With  bated  breath  I  barkened  on 

And  watched  the  weakening  whispers  come  my  way. 

His  voice  fainter  grew  and  yet  more  faint 

Until  I  could  not  comprehend  the  fine 

Soft,  zephyr-like  vibrations  in  the  air. 

With  pent-up  interest  at  highest  pitch 

My  palpitating  heart  cried  out  imploringly : 

One  more,  oh,  just  one  other  ray  of  light — 

What  is  the  key  to  all  this  wisdom's  store? 

How  shall  I  know  just  when,  just  what  to  do 

By  what  criterion  judge  every  deed? 

And  oh,  the  joy,  as  I  could  grasp  his  words 

Of  answer  a  most  wonderful  reply : 

"Just  make  it  pay,"  he  said,  "just  make  it  pay."   .   .  . 

But  how,  I  thought  with  all  my  mental  strength, 

How  can  that  pay  which  shows  so  much  of  loss? 

And  yet,  another  message  brought  reply 

'Twas  but  a  gasp,  his  last  I  am  quite  sure, 

Yet  I  could  feel  it  clothed  in  a  smile: 

*'Make  men  believe  it  pays  them  to  he  slaves." 

Therein  is  power !     Therefrom  is  sustained 

The  mailed  fist,  the  much-sung  iron  heel, 

Through  preachers  of  this  dispensation  and 

The  glamor  of  the  knaves  who  fool  the  most. 

We  tread  upon  the  necks  of  all  and  lo. 

We  deal  each  liberal  move  the  final  blow 

By  calling  our  rule  civilization  oh! — 

Afterthought : 

Let  this  be  consolation :  if  we  fall 

Others  will  apply  our  schemings,  all. 


PART    SEVEN 
EAST    AND    WEST 

SONNETS   ON   FRIENDSHIP,   PEACE  AND    GOOD   WILL 
TO 

Sadachiro  Horiye 


EAST    AND    WEST 


EASTERNMOST  FRIEND 

We  know  the  Zodiac  by  daily  test, 

But  is  there  anything  that  stands  between 

The  constellations,  in  the  heaven's  sheen, 

To  part  the  starry  hosts — save  human  quest? 

You  hail  from  East  and  I  grew  in  the  West 

But  are  we  not  one  kind?    Have  we  not  been 

Through  evolution's  mill  so,  heart-beats  mean 

The  same  things  in  my  bosom  and  your  breast  ? 

The  jungle  had  its  day.     Each  tribe,  each  clan 

Had  years  of  all-eclipsing  pride.  .  .  .  We  can. 

Reviewing  tomes  of  Yamata  and  Greece, 

Praise  conquering  heroes  and  the  heroes  slain — 

Still,  may  we  not  opine  and  entertain 

Hope  for  a  world  at  work  in  friendly  peace? 


HERE   AND    THERE 

You  have  your  sacred  hills  and  sacred  dales. 
We  have  enchanting  canyons,  falls  and  rills ; 
You  have  your  potteries,  we  have  our  mills ; 
You  drive  a  bargain  as  we  make  our  sales ; 
You  have  your  dancing  girls,  flirting  males. 
We  have  our  ballet  dancers  dressed  in  frills — 
In  history  or  literature  that  thrills. 
You  tell  your  stories  and  we  tell  our  tales. 
You  have  your  many  shrines,  we  have  our  saints ; 
To  match  your  grievance  each,  we  have  complaints. 
You  have  an  ancient  past,  but  can  you  say 
That  ours  began  at  some  much  later  day? 
We  both  have  feelings,  humor,  thought  and  art — 
Oh,  East  and  West,  why  should  we  pull  apart? 

317 


318  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

3 

THE  soul's   choice 

Could  souls  on  entering  Earth  maturely  choose 

Their  station  in  life ;  ground  where  to  reside, 

A  face  to  show,  and  eyes  to  look  with  pride; 

What  manners  to  adopt,  what  tongue  to  use, 

Which  tomes  of  history  with  faith  peruse ; 

What  color  skin  to  wear,  what  hobby  ride 

As  the  one  infallible  heavenly  guide — 

I  fancy,  this  is  how  a  soul  might  muse: 

"The  North  blows  cold,  Equatorwards  it  quakes ; 

Not  all  of  East  nor  all  of  West  is  kind, 

And  not  a  language  but  records  mistakes, 

Nor  is  there  ancestry  whose  every  glance 

Was  pure  angelic  vision.  .  .   ."     Then  the  mind. 

With  eyes  completely  shut,  would  take  a  chance. 


HOMOLOGY 

Earth  moves  along  enclosed  in  starry  skies, 
It  gladly  hails  the  atmosphere  of  June 
When  rivers'  murmur  and  the  languid  Moon, 
In  ways  most  wonderful,  weave  wondrous  ties. 
The  wooer  gazes  into  lovelit  eyes — 
Then  obligations'  sacred  rite  and  soon 
They  hear  the  feathered  songster's  warbling  tune 
Outrivaled  by  a  baby's  gurgling  cries. 
Comes  flashing  comprehension  of  the  world, 
A  shaft  of  will  into  its  makeup  hurl'd. 
Intensive  thinking,  honest  labor's  sweat. 
Achievements'  glamor,  finally,  comes  death. 
And  then.?     A  guess,  inscrutable  the  rest — 
Pray,  breathes  not  life  alike  in  East  and  West.? 


EAST    AND    WEST  319 

5 

THE  COLOR  LINE 

Who  wants  a  garden  without  colors'  gleam? — 
Here  waves  in  gorgeous  splendidness  a  stack 
Of  Golden  Glows  beside  the  crimson  Jack 
Whose  velvet  cheeks  with  solar  warmth  beam. 
Whatever  can  the  sense  of  sight  esteem 
More  beautiful?    And  what  of  beauty  lack 
Brown  Dahlias,  the  deep-dark  rose  Prince  Black, 
Or  roses  white  with  blush  of  moss-pink  dream? 
And  this  enchanting  picture  had  been  planned; 
This  synchrony  of  red,  white,  black,  brown,  tan 
And  all  the  rest  is  tended  to  in  rain 
Or  shine,  with  love,  by  a  dear  lady  friend — 
Oh,  give  us  gods  or  laws  or  simply  plain 
Philosophy  to  do  as  much  for  man !   .   .  . 


INTERMARRIAGE 

Perhaps   the   races   should  not  intermarry. 

May  be,  each  has  a  special  call  on  Earth: 

One  to  go  slow  or  even  calmly  tarry ; 

One  to  rush  on  to  blast  the  rock-sealed  quarry 

Of  unknown  depths ;  one  silent,  pride  begirth ; 

And  one,  despite  all  trials,  saving  Mirth — 

Who  knows  which  is  the  world's  salvation  very? 

But  there  is  that  which  must  needs  intermingle — 

Nor  thought,  nor  art,  nor  labor  can  live  single. 

They  must  sustain  each  other.    Blessed  be  the  temple 

Where  they  may  unreservedly  assemble. 

Mix,  join  species,  fuse,  amalgamate. 

Of  such  will  be  the  future's  glorious  state. 


820  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

7 
life's  net 
Set  off  with  cordage  from  the  twist  of  mind, 
Life's  road  constrains  us  all  to  move  within 
The  twine.    Deciphering  what  the  sign-posts  mean 
Is  hard,  and  harder  still  good  guides  to  find. 
Far  runs  the  gossamer — ahead,  behind 
And  to  our  sides — that  we  must  move  between 
By  light  from  great  redeeming  visions  seen — 
By  error,  passion,  prejudice  made  blind. 
The  endless  cord  'twixt  past  and  coming  state 
Is  turned,  pulled  and  jerked  entangling  fate 
In  Gordian  knots  which,  cut  by  tragic  deeds. 
No  tender  heart  can  contemplate  but  bleeds. 
And  all  the  wise  can  do  is  but  to  bend 
A  tiny  effort  for  the  better  end. 

8 

WAR  IN  FORTY  YEARS 

The  avalanche  of  agony  which  sears 

The  bleeding  Earth  might  well  have  been  forestalled. 

But  lust  for  power,  gain  and  conquest  called 

Brute  force  to  bear,  hence  flows  the  flood  of  tears. 

Yet,  even  now,  while  death-shrieks  pierce  our  ears 

Some  harbor  in  their  narrow,  grudge  enwalled 

Breasts  temper  for  a  clash  still  deeper  galled, 

"A  war  of  races  due  in  forty  years." 

What  shall  they  war  about?     Must  legions  fall 

In  settling  which  of  latitudes  to  call 

"Great  First"?     Or,  which  of  longitudes  decry? 

Oh,  this  our  planet  is  sufficient  rough 

For  all  to  polish  on ;  and  small  enough 

To  love  it  whole,  it  all  to  sanctify. 


EAST    AND    WEST  321 


SWORD   AND    PEN 

Great  ruler  Sword!     Sharp-bladed,  glistening  steel 

Allied  to  righteousness  oft  freed  the  world 

From  woe,  and  saved  it  oft  from  being  hurled 

Back  unto  thraldom  for  a  tyrant's  meal. 

Controlling  power,  court  of  last  appeal. 

Thy  throne  room  often  had  been  justice-pearled 

Reflecting  splendor  on  new  flags  unfurled 

For  loftier  heights,  for  better  commonweal. 

Sword,  thou  art  emperor  yet,  and  at  this  late 

Day  thou  art  still  the  arbiter  of  Fate ! 

But  oh,  thy  sins  fall  heavy  on  all  men, 

So,  we  petition  thee  to  abdicate 

In  favor  of  the  conferential  pen 

Which  can  revise  its  dictum  now  and  then. 

10 

ROSEWREATHS 

And  though  we  venerate  past's  glorious  braves 

We  must  not  prick  the  old  forgotten  sores. 

Must  men  recall  pale,  hoary-headed  scores.? — 

Were  they  not  better  buried  in  the  graves 

Of  martyrs  not  one  of  whom  ever  craves 

To  be  avenged?     We  have  innumerable  chores 

To  do  upon  contemporary  shores 

While  watching  how  to-morrow's  knight  behaves. 

I  fain  would  hand  rosewreaths  of  gratitude 

To  those  who  might  yet  will  not  force  Old  Feud 

On  the  New  Heart ;  Divergence  in  its  prime 

Who  do  not  choke ;  and,  midst  upheavals  vast 

Who  leave  me,  still,  to  labor  and  to  cast 

A  bottled  message  in  the  sea  of  time. 


822  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

11 

TEST   OF  LIFE 

Life  is  a  test  we  must  constantly  meet ; 

And  few  the  men,  if  ever  one  was  born, 

All  smooth-grained  velvet,  rose  without  a  thorn. 

Who  knows  not  frowning  looks?    Or  anger's  beat 

Vibrating  through  words  given  in  the  heat 

Of  tensest  mood?    Perhaps,  when  overworn 

The  mind  (with  poise  pummeled,  tattered  and  torn) 

Is  victim  to  its  weakness  or  conceit. 

Man's  soul  loves  light,  but  hearts  are  linked  to  gall. 

Still,  even  though  we  may  each  other  call: 

"Slow",  "overbearing",  or  uncivil  things — 

There  is  a  truth  parrying  all  such  flings. 

Regardless  accusationary  creeds. 

We  measure  up  according  to  our  deeds ! 

12 

WARNING 

Let  not  the  world  of  antipodes  toy 

With  dogs  of  war.     They  are  held  by  a  string 

Precarious.     The  sanction  of  a  king 

Will  set  them  on  to  pillage  and  destroy.   .  .  . 

In  peace,  their  snarling  soundeth  cute  and  coy ; 

But  once  let  loose,  the  hills  and  valleys  ring 

With  ugly  cries  (relayed  by  terror's  wing) 

To  maul  and  maim  and  kill  with  prideful  joy. 

Sicked  on  by  voices  shouting  flames  of  hell 

On  all  who  dare  to  walk  apart  and  dwell 

With  commonsense  ideals  of  their  own. 

Such  is  the  nature  of  the  murderous  beast 

It  would  devour  all  men,  or  West  or  East, 

Who  have  the  savage  claws  and  teeth  outgrown. 


EAST    AND    WEST  323 

13 

COHESION 

Aye,  some  will  scatter  broadcast  seeds  of  war,  then 

Shall  better,  wiser  people,  Hun  or  Turk 

Or  Japanese  or  Saxon  ever  shirk 

Sinister  propaganda  to  dishearten? 

Is  not  each  soul  appointed  a  chief  warden 

To  oversee  the  fields  where  dangers  lurk? 

And,  if  plants  droop  for  lack  of  last  year's  work 

Must  not  fair  labor  show  in  next  year's  garden? 

The  body  politic  turns  fast  and  faster 

Till  hot  extremities  meet — in  disaster 

Harvesting  sorrow,  agony,  remorse. 

But  wisdom  does  not  fly  off  on  a  tangent 

Its  love  and  light  endure,  shine  forth  resplendent. 

The  world's  uniting  centripetal  force. 

14 

DIFFERENCE 

In  peace  men  gather  at  the  Roadside  Inn 

To  barter  labor's  fruit.     They  go  about 

Exchanging  wit,  or  trying  to  find  out 

The  crux  of  justice  and  the  why  of  sin. 

Once  set  to  fight  the  will  wills  but  to  "win".  .   .  . 

Whenever  and  wherever  war  breaks  out 

The  whispers  of  the  wild  rise  to  a  shout 

And  structures  of  civility  cave  in. 

Then  terror  rules.    Oh,  how  are  they  explainable 

Who  charge  the  air  to-day  with  hates  inflammable 

To-morrow?    See,  what  mankind  must  endure 

Because  of  ills  it  knew,  yet  failed  to  cure ; 

Because  of  tempers  wisdom  failed  to  cool. 

Because  reliance  on  the  sword  to  rule. 


324  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

15 

BITTERSWEET 

A  glance  upon  the  far-spread  picturesque  skies 

Beholding  clouds,  their  fancy  shades  and  motion 

Enchants  the  heart,  exalts  it  to  emotion 

Wherein  the  joy  of  life  and  wonder  vies. 

A  thought  about  the  battlefields  where  lies 

A  mass  of  corpses  fallen  in  devotion 

To  heaven's  call?    No,  but  by  human  notion 

And — is  it  a  disgrace  to  have  wet  eyes? 

How  grand  the  tree  of  life  !  Its  rich  crowned  branches 

Bring  forth   sweet   fruit;   but   when   the   old   trunk 

drenches 
With  sap  of  bitterness  a  heart  or  nation 
Or  all  the  Earth  .   .   .   small  seems  the  share  enjoyed. 
Ah,  life  is  golden  splendor  unalloyed 
In  spots;  in  stretches  grim,  unquelled  damnation. 

16 

RESPONSIBILITY 

Strange,  is  it  not  unfortunately  strange 
That  soon  as  sound  the  government  alarms, 
Men,  mutually  fond,  must  rush  to  arms 
And — instead  loving  missils  bombs  exchange? 
Can  you,  oh,  friend,  regard  us  in  the  trench 
Aiming  to  kill  whom  we  were  wont  to  charm? 
Still,  if  we  come  to  war,  its  rain  of  harm, 
Its  flood  of  agony,  its  sea  of  stench.   .   .  . 
(I  tell  you  now,  we  could  not  parley  then.) 
We  must  plead  guilty — even  you  and  I — 
Of  unloosing  the  curse  of  Evil  Eye; 
Because  our  love  was  not  sufficient  strong 
To  overcome  the  hate,  however  long 
Fanned,  in  the  hearts  of  purblind  countrymen. 


!  EAST    AND    WEST  325 

17 

WAR  AND  LIFE 

Historians  write  and  crimson  runs  the  scroll, 
For  on  its  waltzing  course  among  the  stars, 
Our  Earth  goes  on  in  charge  of  war-god  Mars. 
How  dreadfully  his  bloodshot  eyeballs  roll ! 
What  desolation  is  his  daily  toll! 
His  satrapees,  reincarnated  tzars, 
Permit  no  act  nor  passive  stand  that  mars 
The  death  design  of  Martian  Control. 
In  his  domain  the  war  lord  cannot  brook 
A  disapproving  word  or  sigh  or  look. 
He  wields  the  strength  of  all.     He  is  the  state — 
And  yet,  and  still,  the  humane  spirit  craves 
Fraternal  hillsides  not  tormenting  graves. 
Love  all  embracing  not  eternal  hate. 

18 

SAUL    SLEW    HIS    THOUSANDS 

Deluded  lord  of  war!     Forsooth  his  case 

Is  also  pitiful.    Lo,  in  defeat 

He  counts  for  less  than  dust  under  the  feet 

Of  wandering  tramps.     Yet  if  he  blaze, 

With  fiery  onslaught,  through  the  fields  and  raise 

The  tyrant's  flag,  such  ending  must  he  meet 

As  trade  life's  garment  for  a  corpse's  sheet, 

Eternal  blessing  for  fraudulent  praise. 

"Saul  slew  his  thousands,  David  slew  his  tens 

Of  thousands."     And  they  danced  after  they  slew 

The  Amalek  and  Philistine — Oh,  Jew 

What  hast  thou  gained  by  it?     A  poor  pretense 

Of  pride,  a  memory  which  flowing  years 

Wore  laughterless  but  never  dry  of  tears. 


326  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

19 

BURDEN  SHARING 

Reviewing  annals  of  the  past  they  seem — 

The  joys,  the  trembling  fear,  the  tearful  psalter, 

The  endless — boastingly  recorded — slaughter, 

A  tragic-kaleidoscopic  dream. 

Whatever  was  the  wrongful  party's  scheme? 

Degrading  one  to  drudgery's  son  or  daughter — 

Gain  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water — 

Or  raising  one  to  rulership  supreme. 

Indeed  the  bloodstained  weird,  biblical  ages 

Show  forth  a  wondrous  book.     Throughout  its  pages 

We  see  the  warriors'  contest  raging  on. 

Now  this,  now  that  brave  race  or  figure  won. 

But  all  the  while,  we  know,  the  banner-bearers 

Of  right  were  countless  unknown  burden  sharers. 

20 

APPLIED   PRAYER 

They  were,  they  are,  they  will  be  for  some  time 

Whose  goal  in  Hfe  is  war,  the  battle  cry 

Much  longed  for  music ;  oh,  but  you  and  I 

May  we  not  ring  of  friendly  hearts  the  chime.? 

When  comes  the  day  that  rulers  of  my  clime 

And  yours  have  drawn  the  sword,  even  a  sigh 

For  peace  will  seem  to  war-inflamed  eye 

Comforting  enemies,  high  treason's  crime. 

So  reach  forth,  brother,  while  and  where  our  hands 

May  clasp,  that  we  may  know  in  dismal  days 

(Though  we  be  cast  into  the  lion's  den 

For  not  prostrating  self  where  power  stands) 

Of  souls  that  strive  for  what  the  mass  but  prays : 

"Peace  be  on  Earth  and  good  will  unto  men." 


EAST    AND    WEST  327 

21 

VICTIM  OF  VICTIMS 

'Midst  clanging  noisy  turmoil  that  befogs 

The  mind,  the  warlord  thrives.     His  hounds  are  set 

To  spread  the  virus  of  melee,  to  whet 

On  hate,  and  goad  on  love  for  fighting  togs. 

All  wayward  legends  serve  as  burning  logs 

To  raise  combative  fire.    Each  shibboleth 

Is  turned  to  account  in  trampling  flat 

What  in  the  least  mad  onward  rushing  clogs. 

Quite  fortunate  who  with  the  throbbing  throng 

May  feel  exalted  in  most  any  plight. 

May  kill  or  die  for  cause  he  thinks  is  right. 

Whatever  may  be  said  by  future's  tongue — 

Alas,  some  men  must  suffer  taunt  or  fight. 

Must  kill  or  die  for  what  they  know  is  wrong, 

22 

THE    HEART    IIEBEI.I.IOUS 

Death  holds  no  terror  for  the  mature  mind. 

As  that  is  but  a  complement  of  life ; 

Nor  need  we  shrink  from  facing  winds  of  strife 

For  they  but  peal  from  off  our  eyes  the  blind. 

So,  come  black  angel  any  time,  you'll  find, 

Than  mine,  no  vital  thread  has  met  your  knife 

In  readier  mood ;  nor  trouble's  bubble,  rife 

To  burst,  found  host  of  much  more  patient  kind. 

It  is  the  futile  efforts  which  dispel 

Hope,  needlessness  of  pain  is  what  hurts  most ; 

The  cutting  down  of  mankind  on  a  post 

Relentless  laws  of  nature  call  not  for. 

That  wounds  the  tender  heart  beyond  succor — 

Must  not  such  heart,  ere  choke  in  pain,  rebel.? 


828  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

23 

REMEMBER 

Against  the  time  when  reigning  hands  succeed 
To  clash  two  hemispheres  in  bloody  fray ; 
When  pleading  love  is  cowardice,  decay, 
And  nought  but  slaughter  is  a  glorious  deed; 
When  Moloch's  priests  on  all  men's  children  feed — 
Against  that  time,  oh,  friend,  let  me  convey 
These  words  which  then  unlawful  were  to  say 
On  pain  of  being  classed  vile,  traitorous  breed: — 
That  you  whose  soul  grows  flowers  of  esteem 
For  everything  good,  beautiful  and  true, 
And  I  who  farthest  living  mankind  deem 
Most  near  in  kinship,  we  shall  con-ti-nue 
To  feel  as  brothers  should,  we  shall  be  friends ! 
Or  else  the  world  in  primal  chaos  ends. 

24 

CONSOLATION 

Poor  bird!     This  morning,  under  smiling  skies, 

He  fluted  forth  his  love-song's  charming  tune. 

And  now,  at  eventide,  fine,  balmy  June 

Had  lost  its  splendor.     Heartsore,  plaintive  cries 

Fall  on  the  air.     Oh,  how  the  singer  tries 

To  wake  response!     In  vain  shines  forth  the  Moon, 

His  notes  but  rise  in  calling  for  the  boon 

That  leaves  the  cosmos  void  whene'er  it  dies. 

Dear  winged  friend,  there  is  no  soothing  balm 

To  ease  thine  pain,  thine  aching  heart  to  calm, 

No  help  for  carrying  weight  most  hard  to  bear — 

And  yet  thou  shouldst  not  feel  disconsolate. 

As  mankind  feels,  for  thou  must  be  aware: 

No  feathered  fellow  robin  killed  thy  mate. 


EAST    AND    WEST  329 

25 

A   DAY   OF   WAR 

Another  horrid  battle.   .  .  .  Vespers  knell 
The  day's  conclusion.    It  is  done  and  past. 
What  boots  it  now  to  sob  or  stand  aghast 
At  miseries  that  none  can  count  or  tell 
And  agonies  that  none  can  name  or  quell? 
But  cry  we  must  and  tears  fall  thick  and  fast 
Because  the  storm  proved,  by  anchors  cast, 
Pretentious  rocks  to  be  but  empty  shell.   .   .  . 
And  yet,  oh,  world,  your  way-lost  children  cling, 
By  lights  that  failed,  to  reeds  that  broke.  .  .  .  They 

sing 
The  songs  of  combat  with  unswerving  will. 
What,  after  all,  is  of  all  this  the  aim? — 
The  truth  which  grey-haired  wisdom  may  proclaim 
Is  but  a  fallen  tear-drop  glistening  still. 

26 

DESTINY 

Fell,  booming  cannons  rend  us  night  and  noon. 
Although  their  shells  fall  far,  far,  far  away; 
Innocent  blood  in  streams  and  lakes  we  pay 
While  dancing  madly  to  war's  terror-tune. 
How  many  hateless-hearted  mothers  swoon 
Of  sons  who  go  unwilling  to  the  fray? 
How  many  die,  and  worse,  how  many  slay 
As  on  the  stage  a  marionette  platoon? 
What  Juggernaut !    Oh,  how  long  will  it  roll 
Its  crimson  imprint  on  the  tender  scroll 
Of  justice  loving  fair  humanity? 
Must  not  the  whole  of  Martian  aggregate 
In  disenchantment  sink  by  its  own  weight? 
Must  it  not  die  of  its  enormity? 


330  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

27 

THROUGH  THE  MILL 

This  day  is  done  for.     Roses  from  its  cheeks 
Have  withered  like  the  smile  before  a  mound 
Fresh  thrown,  tear-wet,  on  cemetery  ground.  .  .   , 
The  game  is  over  now,  of  hide  and  seek ; 
Now  it  is  seen,  the  heart  that  badly  leaks, 
The  overloaded  spleen,  the  nerves  gall-wound, 
While  surgeons  of  society  walk  round 
Knee-deep  in  blood,  let  through  preceding  weeks. 
And  grappling  in  the  stranglehold  of  death 
Humanity  hears  but  the  sounds  of  drum 
And  trumpet.   .  .   .  World,  oh,  let  this  tragic  pay, 
(Of  countless  wrongs  the  sorry  aftermath,) 
Be,  leastwise,  paving  of  a  better  way 
For  those  who  are  to  live  in  days  to  come. 

28 

THE    CHEER  IN   THE   TEAR 

If  we  be  led  like  ancient  sacrifice 

Unto  the  altars  of  bloodthirsty  gods. 

Let  us  be  cheerful  still,  accept  the  nods 

Of  stupid  mass  acclaim,  a  dark  surplice 

Of  future's  promise  bright.     'Tis  law  that  vice 

Must  cut  innocent  flesh  with  burning  rods 

Of  punishment.     Such  ever  were  the  odds 

In  coming  up  to  pay  salvation's  price. 

Perhaps,  if  brute  force  slew  but  guilty  hearts. 

There  always  would  be  cause  that  fairly  parts 

One  from  the  rest.     Slaying  innocents  !    Oh, 

Horrid  it  is  and  yet  it  must  be  so. 

For  only  so  has  resolution  birth 

That  guilt  itself  shall  perish  from  the  Earth. 


EAST    AND    WEST  331 

29 

LOVE   UNCONFINED 

This  morning  I  saw  scores  of  youths  entrained 

For  battlefields.     An  old  man  who  looked  on 

Fell  swooning  to  the  ground.   .  .  .  Breath  had  not 

gone, 
Beyond  the  great  divide.     So,  stronger  grained 
Bystanders  brought  the  old  man  to.     What  pained 
Him  to  excess.?     They  asked:  "Have  you  a  son 
Amongst  them.?"    He  replied:  "No,  not  a  one 
Is  of  my  blood" — and  sobbingly  explained : — 
Were  one  most  precious  to  me  .   .  .  reasoned  hope 
In  fortune's  wheel  .   .   .  would  always  fitly  cope 
With  blasts  of  pain.   .   .   .  Blown  from  the  horoscope 
Of  that  one  dear.   .   .   .  But  loving  all  .   .   .  the  fate 
Of  each  goes  through  my  heart.   .  .   .  Oh,  parents 

love 
Sufficient  well  but  not  enough  .   .  .  not  enough.  .  .  . 

30 

PATRIOTISM 

True  patriotic  spirit  at  its  fount, 

Had  birth  in  gratitude  to  gracious  land 

Where  life  began  its  beat  at  love's  command, 

And  body  nurtured  soul  which  round  by  round 

Rose  unto  higher  states,  until  the  final  count 

When  precious  friendship,  faithful  to  the  end, 

Can  do  no  more  than  reach  a  tender  hand 

To  close  the  eyelids — past  the  final  mount.   .   .   . 

Home  is  a  lofty  temple  sanctified 

By  pangs  of  birth,  by  gasps  of  those  who  died 

And  by  the  holy  strivings  of  each  mind 

To  lighten,  brighten  days  for  kin  and  kind — 

Despoiling  conquerors  must  be  people  who 

The  sacredness  of  home  love  never  knew. 


332  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

31 

THE  WORLD  BEAUTIFUL 

Creation  everywhere  for  homage  calls. 

Mount  Fuji's  brilliance  oft  lights  up  my  dreams, 

I  wonder  at  your  quick  reforming  schemes 

And  contemplate  with  awe  your  ancient  walls. 

And  you,  can  you  regard  Niagara  Falls 

As  of  great  nature's  grudging  baser  means? 

Can  you  imagine  untouched  stirring  scenes 

And  wordy  fireworks  in  our  meeting  halls? 

Both,  eastern  and  the  western  banks  of  ocean 

Bear  record  of  identical  emotion; 

Both  East  and  West  fly  birds  with  feathers  fine. 

Is  it  not  far  too  difficult  an  order 

To  speak  praise  but  for  this  side  of  a  border 

And  stop  admiring  Earth  beyond  a  line? 

32 

writer's  plight 
Repeatedly  I  dived  into  the  sea 
Of  thoughtful  art  from  its  vast  deep  to  bring 
A  pearl  so  fine,  into  the  brilliant  ring 
Of  truth,  that  all  who  ever  read  should  see 
The  oneness  of  our  world,  especially 
The  oneness  of  impulse,  this  vital  thing 
From  which  prime  source  most  human  actions  spring 
And  intertwine  all  human  destiny. 
With  feelings  trained  to  sight  the  common  goal, 
No  ships  of  state  need  break  on  treacherous  shoal 
Nor  need  a  soul  be  wrecked  by  its  own  fault — 
Oh,  tantalizing  pen,  what  you  convey 
Shows  like  a  copper  from  a  golden  vault 
Or  like  our  second  in  a  Jovian  day. 


EAST    AND    WEST  333 

33 

RHYME  AND   REASON 

Sweet  lulling  syllables,  words  soft  and  tender, 

Or  stirring  sounds  and  thundering  appeal 

For  slogans  in  which  ruling  powers  deal; 

Geography,  Genethliacs  and  Gender, 

That  is  the  stuff  provincial  poets  render. 

Inflicting  more  wounds  than  their  songs  can  heal. 

Contemporary  troubadours  anneal 

The  corner  saint  with  a  world-wide  offender.   .   .  . 

The  ear,  the  lips,  the  tongue,  the  palate  even 

Enjoys  the  measured  tuneful  sway  of  rhyme; 

In  this  art  builds  with  weightless  bricks  of  time 

And  makes  its  work  live  by  emotion's  leaven, 

But  jingling  reason-void  words  about 

Is  like  creating  worlds  with  light  left  out. 

34 

CONVINCING  ARGUMENT 

We  trudge  with  painful  steps  in  hardened  rut 

Beneath  skies  dark  as  if  that  doomsday  lent 

Its  blackest  cloud  for  our  firmament — 

To-morrow  bringeth  forth,  we  know  not  what. 

Has  human  progress  really  overshot 

The  mark  our  seers  saw  our  dreamers  dreamt? 

(And,    oh,   how   hard   they   worked,   how   well    they 

meant.) 
All  would  seem  now  a  futile  prayer  but — 
Here  many  thousands  struggled  to  express 
The  equal  right  of  men  to  happiness. 
Here  is  a  soul  self-burdened  with  the  task 
To  hold  the  promise  and  its  yield  to  ask. 
Here  is  a  heart  delighted  through  and  through 
With  everything  that  helps  the  dream  come  true. 


334  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

35 

LEAGUE    OF    NATIONS 

Out  of  the  gloomy  dark  a  star  shines  forth — 

The  ever  glorious  star  of  common  sense, 

Propitiated  through  experience, 

Prevails  on  hearts  to  bring  about  the  birth 

Of  mankind's  unity.     May  it  be  worth 

The  dreadful  cost!     Built  strong  to  banish  hence 

War-tragedies  beyond  recrudescence 

In  any  part  of  East,  West,  South  or  North ; 

A  lofty  structure,  all  embracing,  true. 

With  broad  and  liberal  windows  for  each  view, 

And  ample  doors  for  progress  to  march  through 

In  all  directions ;  also,  one  grand  hall 

Wherein  the  voices  may  be  heard  of  all 

Reiterated  in  fraternal  call. 

36 

THOUGHT    OF    PEACE 

Oh,  what  good  is  it  longing  for  the  light 

Of  human  brotherhood,  its  precious  joys; 

When  through  the  state  governing  will  employs 

Life's  foremost  energies  in  deadly  fight? 

And  adding  darkness  to  the  black  of  night, 

Crude  embryonic  dip-lo-ma-cy  toys 

With  fell  deceit  as  if  its  base  alloys 

Could  ever  change  to  jewels  truly  bright. 

With  all  the  world  for  battle's  field  imprest, 

Can  doves  of  peace  at  all  set  up  a  nest? 

Oh,  yes,  they  build !    They  build,  their  work  may  lag 

Yet  through  it,  still,  the  future's  peace  is  wrought. 

Time  had  a  day  wherever  floats  a  flag 

When  there  was  nothing  to  it  but  a  thought. 


EAST    AND    WEST  335 

37 

AMBITION   TO   RISE 

As  in  the  world  of  men  some  elevate 

Their  valued  selves,  so  in  the  ocean's  deep 

Where  countless  molecules  combine  to  keep 

The  topmost  layers  in  a  rolling  state; 

A  tiny  atom  rose,  imbued  by  fate 

To  take  that  course.    Now,  through  a  weary  wait, 

Then  by  a  skilful  push  or  reckless  leap 

It  reached  the  level  where  the  billows  sleep 

And  all  their  puzzling  whims  originate. 

Up,  up  it  came  the  battling  atom  brave, 

It  scaled  the  center  of  a  rising  wave ; 

And  still  it  pushed  to  light  and  air,  athirst 

For  fame  and  great  renown.     On,  on  it  pressed 

Into  the  foamy  surface  of  the  crest, 

Just  to  be  seen ! — And  then  a  bubble  burst. 

38 

SOLUBILITY  OF  GREATNESS 

Who  is  the  greatest?    He,  who  caused  a  brain 

To  formulate  a  thought  that  favor  won, 

Or  he  who  out  of  it  a  volume  spun, 

Or  he  who  set  the  book  in  fashion's  train? — 

Is  it  the  stageman  staging  sobbings  vain? 

Or  jokesmith  forging  ephemeral  fun? 

Or  linguist  thinking  in  three  tongues? — Or,  one 

Who  knows  the  language  of  the  growing  grain? 

Behold,  real  greatness  has  no  stamp  or  mark; 

How  could  it  in  our  little  earthly  cage 

Fetched,    latched,    matched,    stretched,    patched, 

thatched  from  age  to  age? 
If  there  be  greatness  we  must  seek  for  it 
In  smallest  things  of  all,  or  reckon  it 
Beyond  our  span  of  interstellar  arc. 


336  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

39 

SUBSTANCE  OF    PRIDE 

The  proudest  prince  in  seven  countries — why? 

A  peasant  woman  gave  him  suck,  he  fed 

(Aside  from  courtiers'  praises)  on  white  bread 

Produced  by  brown  hands.     The  whole  supply 

Of  knowledge,  art  and  wisdom,  or  well  nigh 

The  whole  of  it,  that  this  proud  ruler  had 

Came   from   the   great   world   over,   its   length    and 

breadth. 
Then,  is  not  pride  a  disingenuous  lie? — 
It  is  a  partial,  unfair  estimate 
Of  flesh  and  mind-consuming  efforts  spent; 
A  valuation  disproportionate; 
A  false  account  of  one's  accomplishment 
Deceiving — none  so  much  nor  in  so  crude 
A  way  as  self — through  blind  ingratitude. 

40 

NON-VICARIOUS    MERIT 

The  height  of  my  ambition  is  to  be 

A  useful  fellow  human;  just  and  fair 

To  one  and  all,  at  all  times  everywhere, 

A  faithful  link  in  world  fraternity. 

So  shall  life's  sweet  and  bitter  come  to  me. 

(Lift  ethics  from  life's  song  and  what  is  there 

But  wildward  vegetation's  tone  despair 

With  neither  dissonance  nor  harmony?) 

Now,  if  I  fail  the  standard  will  you  scold 

My  elsewise  thinking  ancestors  of  old? 

And  wherein  they  have  fought  and  moved  ahead 

Do  I  deserve  the  credit  in  their  stead? 

Oh,  for  a  goodly  Sermon  on  the  Mount 

Proclaiming  each  new  life  a  new  account ! 


EAST    AND    WEST  337 

41 

AN   APPLE   AND    ITS    TREE 

A  query  often  halts  the  savant's  flow 

Of  contemplative  thought: — What  shall  they  do 

Whose  Totem  wallows  (heeding  not  the  view 

He  gives  lengthwise  the  trough?    .    .    .   Well,  see  a 

show 
Where  feeds  with  lusty  zest  a  goodly  row 
Of  them — in  peace;  each  snuffling  singly  through 
An  orifice  apart,  made  by  one  who 
Divined  the  nature  of  the  beast  you  know.   .   .  . 
Amongst  men,  too,  such  care  is  wanted,  alas, 
(See  gratings  in  the  moneychangers'  palace.) 
To  keep  at  bay  lusting  cupidity. 
However,  friend  philosopher,  you  need 
Not  worry  on  this  score.     Remember,  Greed 
Is  but  an  offspring  of  Stupidity. 

42 

PSYCHOLOGY 

As  flows  a  river  banked  by  earth  and  air 

So  runs  the  mind  through  cell-bound  cerebration. 

Presentiment,  misgiving,  imprecation. 

Love,  sympathy  and  kindliness  all  share 

This  river  bed ;  all  springs  from  life's  mutation. 

From    memories    wrought   by    school    and    sect    and 

nation 
And  from  conclusions  reached  or  false  or  fair. 
Oh,  may  the  coursing  currents  in  our  brains 
Have  birth  and  run  through  channels  of  desires 
That  help  the  mind  when  good-ward  it  aspires ; 
Emerging  from  philogenetic  chains, 
May  they  produce  a  new  synthetic  light 
That  seldom  fails  and  often  leads  aright. 


338  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

43 

THE    CLASSES 

Dismantle  but  his  throne  and  under  stress 

Of  plain  necessity  the  tzar  can  see 

Of  all  his  pride  the  piteous  vanity, 

Of  all  his  might  the  utter  emptiness. 

Conceits  of  lesser  weight  must  know  no  less 

Eternal  laws  of  volatility. 

Regard  them  so  and  castes  will  prove  to  be 

Vaporings  of  imagined  loftiness. 

Though  thought  is  force  issuing  forth  events, 

It  does  not  alter  primal  elements — 

True  merit  not  by  acclamation  grows. 

Nor  honor  by  what  recognition  shows. 

No  matter  what  mistaken  minds  assume. 

Just  prick  a  bubble  and  you  spell  its  doom. 

44 

GLORY   SUPREME 

Of  vital  aim  a  fresh  electron  reared 

Its  home,  modestly,  in  a  drop  of  dew, 

And  there  it  glistened  for  a  dawn  or  two. 

Intent  upon  its  work,  then  disappeared — 

From  sight,  but  not  from  life  as  some  have  feared 

Whose  glances  passed  the  rose-tree  bud  which  drew 

It  down  (through  swelling,  petal)  till  it  grew 

A  part  of  coursing  sap  within.     Endeared 

By  all  the  ties  of  leaf  and  stem  and  ground 

The  small  electron  ever  went  its  round 

Unseen,  from  root  to  crown.     Yet  there  are  those 

Who  stand  enchanted  in  the  balmy  glen. 

Gorgeous  with  flowers  for  the  joy  of  men. 

And  wonder  whence  comes  fragrance  of  the  rose.  .   .  . 


EAST    AND    WEST  339 

45 

THE    FLAG  INVISIBLE 

Mankind  loves  symbols !     Now,  the  purest  white 
How  often  stands  for  weak  submission's  sign? 
And  who  would  yield  for  ought  a  moment's  shine 
Of  settled  truth,  or  that  of  virtues'  light? — 
Rich  chromatography  and  spectrum  bright 
Avails  us  not.     Oh,  who  can  mix  so  fine 
The  pigments  and  conceive  such  deft  design 
Of  hues  and  shapes  that  set  a  wrong  course  right? 
Earth  holds  no  color  which  enchants  a  heart 
To  breathe  in  justice  or  to  play  the  part 
Of  social  unit  nobly,  strong  and  well. 
If  you  would  own  an  emblem  of  the  goal 
The  world  is  aching  for,  let  your  breast  swell 
With  love  for  it  extracted  from  your  soul. 

46 

REASON   FOR  EXISTENCE 

A  thousand  forces  chain  us  to  the  past, 

Unto  the  hillside  and  the  sheltering  cave 

Where  mind  had  birth  and  contemplation  gave 

It  wings  to  soar  above  the  mountains  vast. 

But  full  as  many  future  glories  cast 

Their  warming  rays  on  pathways  trod  by  brave 

Salvation-bearing  souls  that  fondly  crave 

A  bond  of  peace  which  shall  forever  last.   .   .   . 

And  as  creation's  energy  is  spent 

Well  setting  stars  into  a  firmament 

The  joyous  hearted  wonder  at  and  bless ; 

So  is  it  grand  in  life,  however  brief. 

To  add  a  cell  unto  the  coral  reef 

Of  all  encircling  human  happiness. 


340  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

47 

RENDEZVOUS 

Oh,  friend,  who  workest  from  the  other  side 
The  tunnel  piercing  Mountain  Prejudice; 
Or  roadway,  cutting  peaks  and  precipice 
Of  false  conceit  and  fatuous  fratricide — 
May  reason's  torch  forever  be  our  guide, 
And  may  our  lips  bear  witness  to  the  bliss 
Conferred  on  souls  by  truth's  angelic  kiss 
Through  loving  justice  more  than  hugging  pride. 
Thus  shall  we  kindle  strength  to  disenthrall 
And  purge  the  world  from  witcheries  of  hate ; 
So  shall  we  find  the  broad  plains,  or  create 
Fine  lofty  plateaus,  whereon  we  may  meet, 
One  righteous  family  whose  members  all 
In  friendly  service  joyfully  compete. 

48 

ONE   MORE 

How  soon  to-day  is  passing  into  yore — 

Its  imprint,  though,  is  faithfully  enrolled 

On  parchments  that  mysteriously  unfold 

In  memory's  Hall  of  Records  built  therefor. 

When,  in  the  course  of  retrospect,  its  floor 

Will  show  remembrance  of  this  friend  of  old, 

I  fain  would  cheer  you  on !     I  fain  would  hold 

In  your  esteem  the  title  of  One  More. 

One  More  in  opposition  to  imposts 

Of  any  thraldom;  One  More  in  the  hosts 

Of  progress  seeking,  in  truth,  to  adjust 

Affairs  of  men  so  it  redeem  man's  trust 

In  mankind ;  and,  when  classifying  fighters, 

Recall  me  as  One  More  of  world  uniters. 


EAST    AND    WEST  341 


HUMANITY    PROUD 

We  cannot  if  we  would  stay  troglodyte; 
For  distance  disappears  and  each  partakes, 
As  in  communion,  of  common  stakes 
Broad  as  the  heavens,  high  as  starry  light. 
Humility  forsake  us  not !    Despite 
Our  million  faults  and  billions  of  mistakes, 
Man  looms  so  mighty,  large,  and  great,  it  wakes 
One's  pride  in  things  he  did  and  may  indite. 
With  awful  grandeur's  air  we  are  begirt. 
The  foot  of  man  denotes  the  top  of  Earth, 
We  hold  the  center  in  time's  endless  sheet. 
In  us  remotest  past  and  future  meet. 
Through  human  thinking  is  recorded  still 
The  secret  code  of  universal  will. 

50 

AIRCASTLE 

Somewhere  on  Toilsome  Hill,  in  bold  relief 

Against  the  sombre  skies,  a  mansion  stands 

With  windows  wide  from  which  inhabitants 

Appraise  the  landscape ;  meadows,  rock  and  reef 

A  vision  beautiful.     Life,  far  from  brief. 

Seems  endless,  like  the  realm  that  thought  commands ; 

And  so  is  love ;  work,  play  of  minds  with  hands ; 

And  simple  truths  the  worthiest  belief. 

A  wondrous  mansion  that.     Viewed  from  its  spire 

Each  heart  is  filled  with  kind  and  just  desire, 

And  every  soul  a  sovereign  is — most  high. 

Call  you  this  house  a  castle  in  the  air.? 

But  even  so  it  is  substantial.     There 

Is  ample  room — in  it  to  live  and  die. 


PART  EIGHT 
SOCIAL   TRANQUILLITY 

A  Program  Toward  Its  Attainment 


SOCIAL   TRANQUILLITY 
A  Program  Toward  Its  Attainment 

INTRODUCTION 

Hope  springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast,  and 
SO,  despite  the  terrific  strain  of  a  world  war  and 
the  prevalent  war-psychology,  one  may  and  should 
seek  a  base  on  which  faultily  intertwined  human  rela- 
tions can  be  untangled  without  recourse  to  wholesale 
murder  and  destruction. 

That  base  of  peace,  can  it  be  ultra  militaristic 
preparedness  for  war,  or  does  it  lie  along  the  lines 
of  total  disarmament?  Must  we  continually  rattle 
the  sabre,  or  must  we  always  be  ready  for  an  un- 
conditional surrender  to  whosoever  chooses  to  draw 
the  sword? 

The  present  essay  is  the  result  of  an  effort  to 
find  an  answer  to  that  pressing  problem  which, 
amidst  all  the  turmoil  of  many-sided  hostilities,  is 
of  leading  importance  and  will  remain  such  until  a 
way  will  be  found  to  settle  it  for  good  and  forever. 

Our  generation  must  stand  before  the  bar  of  his- 
tory forever  confirming  the  truth  that  military  pre- 
paredness served  to  bring  on  and  to  cause  the  erup- 
tion of  this  World  War,  rather  than  being  leastwise 
instrumental  in  preventing  it. 

And  much  less  can  we  depend  on  defenselessness 
345 


846  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

for  safety  while  the  world  lacks  care  and  sentiment 
even  as  it  lacks  economic  adjustment  and  political 
machinery  to  get  along  without  dash  of  interests 
and  ideals. 

So,  we  are  compelled  to  seek  further  and  reach 
out  for  some  other  method  of  final  settlement,  even 
though  it  involves  ways  and  means  hitherto  untried. 

The  argument,  conclusions  and  proposals  herein 
offered  were  thought  out  in  a  spirit  disposed  to  "re- 
member them  that  are  in  bonds  as  being  bound  with 
them ;  and  them  which  suffer  adversity  as  being  your- 
selves also  in  the  body."  So  the  contemplation  rests 
on  the  idea  of  a  warless  dispensation.  The  essence 
of  it  all,  it  will  be  seen,  is  not  a  wild  shout  for  war 
at  any  rate,  though  far  removed  from  the  dismal  cry 
of  peace  at  any  price.  It  is  as  far  from  clanging 
blood-smeared  weapons  of  controlling  dominance  as 
from  rattling  folly-forged  chains  of  slavery. 

Constructively,  the  essay  will  be  found  to  purport 
bringing  about  improved  motives,  equalized  pros- 
perity, common  sense  in  international  relations,  and 
for  the  protective  force  of  the  body  politic  a  harness- 
ing of  the  people's  energy  (utilitarian  fashion)  for 
grand-scale  constructive  effort  convertible,  in  case 
of  dire  need,  into  full-blown  military  exertion;  fur- 
thermore, a  constitutional  change  in  the  form  of 
government  replacing  the  primitive  incentive  of 
rivalry  and  contention  with  the  spur  of  worth-while 
emulation. 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  347 


THE   REVERSE   SIDE   OF    THE   MEDAL 

Bright  and  shining  are  the  medallions  of  war,  and 
proudly  may  the  possessor  of  such  an  emolument 
display  it  before  an  admiring  world.  The  token  has 
been  well  paid  for  with  treasure  of  body,  heart  and 
soul;  and  well  may  it  be  regarded  with  respect  and 
awe  by  every  beholder. 

But  pass  the  Roentgen  rays  of  understanding 
through  the  precious  peace  of  metal,  way  through, 
to  the  other  side  of  it  and  what  do  you  see? 

Human  bodies  writhing  in  blood.  Hosts  of  muti- 
lated children  of  men.  Rats  feeding  on  the  aban- 
doned helpless  and  dead.  A  city  in  flames,  a  country- 
side in  ashes.  Ships  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  .  .  . 
Crowds  of  horrified  fugitives  on  the  road  to  nowhere. 
Dejected  prisoners,  broken  in  heart  and  spirit;  and 
heartrending  ramifications  of  pain  for  every  victim 
of  the  earth-encompassing  tragedy.  Can  this  be  the 
best  achievement,  the  highest  ideal  of  a  noble  soul? 
In  attempting  to  dissolve  the  glamor  conjured 
around  the  calling  of  the  swordbearer,  here  is  no  in- 
tention to  cast  a  slur  on  defenders  of  home,  right  and 
liberty.  Intelligent  soldiers  of  this  order  are  beyond 
cavil,  beyond  reproach.  The  object  in  view  is  only 
to  offset  those  manipulators  of  combative  senti- 
ment who,  in  search  for  renown,  or  in  the  heat  of 
hatred,  glorify  war  as  some  advocate  art,  for  its  own 
sake.   .  .   . 

One  part  of  a  king's  business  is  to  make  conquests, 


348  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

declared  a  famous  ruler  one  thousand  years  ago.  But 
the  task  of  civilization  is  to  make  kings  follow  man- 
kind and  not  to  make  mankind  follow  kings ! 

It  is  a  sad  aspect  of  social  evolution  that  every 
Caesar  has  his  Antony.  No  tyrant  was  ever  so  cruel, 
no  wrong  ever  so  palpable,  no  political  arrangement 
ever  so  senseless  but  its  beneficiaries  and  their  dupes 
rallied  strongly  in  support  of  the  tyrant,  the  false- 
hood, the  stupidity. 

So,  now,  there  are  some  who  try  to  defend  war  on 
so-called  scientific  principles.  They,  the  highbrow 
apologists  for  war  point  out: 

1.  That  war  is  nature's  method  of  preventing  over- 
population. 

2.  That  war  develops  certain  good  qualities  in  men 
and  nations. 

3.  That  war  is  an  inevitable  expression  of  human 
nature. 

Let  us  see : 

The  famous  king  above  referred  to  tells  the  world 
that  it  is  the  business  of  a  potentate  to  increase  the 
number  of  his  subjects.  Wars  are  not  declared  to 
exterminate  a  people,  but  only  to  attain  a  certain 
object.  The  purpose  of  the  warring  host  is  not  to 
kill  the  enemy  but  to  subdue  him.  The  capture  of 
the  opposing  forces  is  preferred  to  their  destruction. 
Prisoners  of  war  are  not  executed  nor  allowed  to  die 
of  starvation ;  while  the  wounded  soldiers,  gathered 
in  after  the  battle,  are  nurtured  to  health  with  the 
same  care,  regardless  of  previous  allegiance,  by  all 
of  the  fighting  armies. 

The  story  is  told  of  a  German  wounded  prisoner 
who,  unable  to  do  any  more  harm,  spit  in  the  face  of 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  349 

the  French  volunteer  nurse  approaching  to  help  him. 
Even  such  a  man  was  only  treated  as  other  irrespon- 
sible patients  are  treated  in  any  of  the  hospitals. 

A  remark  contained  in  one  of  the  communications 
from  the  British  to  this  Government,  calling  attention 
to  a  case  where  English  sailors  were  permitted  to  die 
without  succor,  was  adverted  to  (in  a  paper  from 
the  German  Government)  as  a  "loathsome  insinu- 
ation." 

Speaking  of  over-population!  Who  has  not  seen 
one  of  the  innumerable  publications,  designed  to  at- 
tract people  from  anywhere  to  everywhere?  It  may 
be  objected  that  this  is  the  work  of  real  estate  specu- 
lators, but  then,  were  it  not  better  to  squelch  that 
business  than  cry  for  room  while  there  is  too  much 
of  it  on  the  market. 

Recently,  a  spokesman  of  Argentine  declared  in 
public  that  his  country  had  room  for  as  many  people 
as  inhabit  all  Germany,  provided  they  come  to  work 
and  not  as  a  conquering  horde  of  despoilers. 

At  present  a  lively  propaganda  is  carried  on  to 
allow  the  importation  of  Chinese  labor  into  the 
United  States.  Is  not  this  proof  that  more  people 
are  wanted?  The  motive  for  this  propaganda  may 
be  labor  that  is  "cheap  and  unaspiring  for  social 
equality,"  still  the  fact  remains  that  we  are  not  too 
many  but  too  few. 

En  passant ;  dear  legislators,  be  warned  not  to  fall 
for  sophistries  regarding  immigration.  If  we  have 
room  for  more  people  let  them  come  to  enjoy  all  the 
rights  older  immigrants  possess.  No  one  is  satisfied 
with  abbreviated  pay  and  undeserved  ignominy.  Why 
take  advantage  of  men  in  need?     Surely,  you  cannot 


350  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

expect  to  pluck  fruits  of  friendship  and  loyalty  from 
the  trees  of  unfair  dealing. 

Is  it  a  matter  of  reducing  the  high  cost  of  living? 

A  glance  at  war  statistics  will  show  that  the  cost 
of  living  at  its  highest  is  cheap  compared  to  the  cost 
of  killing  at  its  lowest  and  largest  wholesale  price. 
A  random  calculation  divulged  to  the  writer  the  strik- 
ing intelligence  that  for  every  life  lost  in  war  more 
than  ten  thousand  dollars  worth  of  property  is  wasted 
or  destroyed.  This  includes  only  ready,  man-created 
goods,  property  and  stored-up  wealth;  the  value  of 
destroyed  and  wasted  energy  is  incalculable.  Indeed, 
war  would  be  an  awfully  expensive  regulator  in  prop- 
erly populating  the  Earth.  But  war  cannot  and  does 
not  regulate  anything  of  the  kind.  The  only  thing  it 
really  regulates  is  who  shall  or  who  shall  not  collect 
tribute  in  a  certain  place. 

Returning  to  the  subject  considered:  the  fact  is 
that  civilization  is  of  the  many  and  not  of  the  few. 
Every  village,  state  and  country  strives  for  an  in- 
crease of  population.  If  the  contrary  were  to  the 
interest  of  society,  a  diminution  of  the  census  could 
easily  be  had  by  (a)  modifying  certain  religious 
tenets  which  entrust  the  weighty  question  of  pro- 
jecting human  life  into  the  world  to  supernatural 
decision;  (b)  condoning  self-imposed  childlessness 
instead  of  continually  scolding  volunteer  sterility 
and  (c)  raising  the  legal  embargo  on  knowledge  re- 
garding birth  control. 

The  second  postulate,  that  war  develops  certain 
good  qualities  in  men  and  nations,  is  but  the  queer 
notion  of  the  old  Flagellants,  who  set  out  to  improve 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  351 

their  minds  by  torturing  their  bodies  with  a  scourge 
of  their  own  make,  applied  socially ;  applied  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  teachers  and  preachers  of  it  needn't 
bare  and  beat  their  own  breasts. 

As  to  the  courage,  the  bravery,  the  comradeship 
of  war,  it  is  all  simply  a  moral  illusion.  Life  every 
day  requires  courage  and  bravery  from  the  great 
majority  of  mankind.  And  the  world  is  full  of  friend- 
ships all  the  time.  War  thwarts  many,  but  it  cannot 
kill  all  of  them,  nor  the  disposition  to  appreciate  a 
friend  in  need.  A  goodly  part  of  war-comradeship 
is  like  some  friendships  of  the  concentration  camp, 
after  a  city  had  burnt  to  ashes,  where  rich  and  poor 
meet,  exchange  condolences  and  rub  elbows  for  a 
day.   ... 

Especial  courage  !  Especial  bravery  !  We  might 
as  well  argue  that  a  certain  act  breeds  courage  be- 
cause the  perpetrator  dares  a  certain  risk;  or  say 
that  nightmares  produce  bravery,  because  they  are 
apt  to  make  one  jump  barefooted  on  the  cold  oil- 
cloth-covered floor  in  mid-winter. 

Why,  the  miners  and  their  families,  in  their  strug- 
gle for  a  livelihood  bring  to  light  more  heroism  in  a 
week,  unappreciated  though  it  is,  than  the  gun-pro- 
tected general  staff  of  an  invading  army  needs  to 
muster  forth  throughout  their  uniformed  lives. 

But  blame  must  be  placed  somewhere  to  hide  the 
real  culprits  in  the  criminal  case  of  war,  and  so,  ut- 
terance is  given  to  the  most  slanderous  aspersion 
that  can  be  cast  upon  humanity. 

Our  workers  and  artists,  our  philosophers  and 
martyrs,  all  are  discounted  with  the  slur  of  the 
tongue.     With   a  wave  of  the  hand,  mankind's   de- 


852  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

tractors  would  nullify  the  great  efforts  of  all  our 
pioneers,  and  count  for  nothing  the  magnificent  at- 
tainments of  the  innumerable  hosts  who,  disdaining 
the  "easiest  way,"  spent  their  lives  at  drudging  labor 
to  advance  the  welfare  of  others. 

Our  entire  social  edifice,  filled  with  beautiful 
hopes,  moral  strivings  and  thrilling  virtues,  con- 
ceived, evolved,  and  assembled  from  beginnings  of 
life,  from  the  jungle  and  from  the  torments  of  wil- 
derness, is  blown  into  nothingness  with  a  puff  from 
the  mouth,  or  with  the  scratch  of  the  pen  ascribed 
to  something  else  than  human  nature. 

What  perverted  reasoning !  The  blot  on  the  white 
sheet  is  called  the  substance  of  the  paper,  the  outflow 
of  the  boil  is  blamed  on  the  body  which  cannot  hold 
the  poison.  It  is  like  saying  that  murder  is  human 
nature,  whereas  society  is  organized  primarily  to 
protect  the  lives  of  its  members.  Witness,  one's  life 
is  at  the  mercy  of  every  person  encountered  or  not 
even  seen,  yet  travelers  pass  hundreds  of  thousands 
every  day  without  being  harmed,  but  often  being 
helped  with  kindly  information. 

Nations  really  do  not  go  to  war.  They  slide  into 
it  by  way  of  propaganda  blowing  from  mysterious 
sources,  not  through  their  own  ferocious  inclination. 
The  mass  of  the  people  never  desire  war.  They  are 
forced  or  fooled  into  it  by  those  who  control  their 
livelihood  and  their  confidence. 

There  is  not  a  man  in  all  the  battlefields,  not  even 
among  the  Huns  and  Germans,  who  will  admit  that  he 
went  to  war  for  any  other  but  the  most  lofty  reason, 
unless  it  be  in  abeyance  to  overwhelming  brute  force. 
They  fight  for  their  homes,  their  religion,  their  civ- 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  353 

ilization,  for  anything  but  the  joy  of  killing  men, 
women  and  children  as  they  actually  do. 

Men  in  the  great  standing  armies  do  not  enter 
service  from  their  own  volition.  The  ideal  war  ma- 
chine draughts  its  members  not  from  amongst  grown- 
up men  but  from  helpless  babes  on  the  very  first  day 
of  their  birth.  Once  the  newcomer  is  registered,  as 
he  must  be,  there  is  no  escape.  He  is  kept  under 
surveillance  and  must  be  accounted  for  or  account  for 
himself  at  any  and  all  times  to  the  far-spread  ten- 
tacles of  the  military  octopus. 

When  the  navies  of  the  world  visited  New  York 
about  two  decades  ago  thousands  of  sailors  forsook 
their  folks  and  fatherland  rather  than  return  to  their 
posts  of  oppression.  And  in  this  country,  where  the 
soldiers  receive  incomparably  better  provisions,  bet- 
ter treatment  and  better  pay,  a  rush  for  enlistment 
had  been  most  conspicuous  by  its  absence.  What  if 
the  large  flaming  posters,  inviting  the  youth  of  the 
land  to  join  the  colors,  had  shown  pictures  from  the 
reverse  side  of  the  medal  instead  of  only  soldiers  on 
parade.'' 

Some  believe  that  we  must  have  national  scram- 
bhngs  and  international  wars  to  keep  mankind  from 
degenerating  into  its  soft  do-nothing  types.  But  of 
all  fears  the  most  senseless  is  the  fear  that  mankind 
will  ever  be  left  with  nothing  to  do.  We  have  thou- 
sands of  tasks  just  to  satisfy  sorely  pressing  physical 
needs.  We  have  millions  of  nature's  destructive  agen- 
cies to  counteract,  and  billions  of  her  secrets  to  un- 
ravel, with  always  more  in  reserve. 

Mankind    forever    has    open    paths    and    infinite 


354  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

scope  for  physical,  moral,  intellectual   and   spiritual 
endeavor. 

As  the  key  of  a  song  is  named  by  the  note  the  scale 
of  which  predominates  in  the  composition,  so  human 
nature  (its  mean,  malignant  accusers  to  the  con- 
trary) must  be  acknowledged  a  most  splendid  part 
of  creation.  With  it  the  great  wonders  of  art,  sci- 
ence, and  social  organization  have  been  achieved ;  and 
the  greatness  of  its  further  possibilities  none  can 
overestimate.  Where  minds  are  not  disordered  and 
interests  do  not  clash,  there  not  only  grow  flowers  of 
peace  but  also  and  always  the  fragrance  of  love  is 
shed  in  profusion. 

DANGER    OF    DEFENSELESSNESS 

Anti-military  arguments  to  which  the  foregoing  is 
but  a  microscopically  small  contribution  are  so  con- 
vincing that  they  convince  some  people  too  much. 
Witness,  the  advocates  of  peace  who  would  denude 
our  political  entity  of  all  defense. 

Yet,  if  in  search  for  peace  a  constant  war-footing 
is  a  delusion  and  a  snare,  its  counterpart,  an  in- 
judicious and  untimely  disarmament,  is  something 
worse. 

It  is  the  cowardly  giving  up  of  the  little  liberty 
achieved  through  the  thought,  toil  and  blood  of  un- 
numbered generations  and  brought  to  an  unfoldment 
here  advantageous  (to  natives  and  also  to  immi- 
grants) and  promising  in  the  highest  degree. 

One  must  not  be  infatuated  with  every  part  of 
prevailing  conditions  here  in  order  to  realize  the 
superior  means  we  have,  compared  to  old  monarchical 
establishments,  for  self-improvement  as  well   as  for 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  355 

national  progress  and  for  the  advancement  of  human 
welfare  throughout  the  world. 

Grant  that  this  country  is  not  inhabited  by  saints 
onlji  that  American  birth  or  residence  does  not 
guarantee  a  liberal  and  truly  democratic  disposition, 
nor  a  heart  impervious  to  whisperings  of  unjust 
ambition.     Grant  every  criticism: 

Commercial  interests  push  on  for  foreign  markets. 

War-declaring  power  is  in  the  hands  of  a  very 
few. 

Money-lords  hold  hosts  of  workers  under  tribute 
if  not  in  thraldom. 

Landlordism  knows  no  bounds. 

Politics  is  used  for  spoil-mongering. 

Favoritism  is  a  matter  of  course. 

Snobbery  is  rampant. 

Who  is  proud  of  doing  common  labor  even  as  a 
war  measure,  not  to  mention  normal  times? 

As  against  all  that  we  have  a  Constitution  pro- 
viding for  its  own  continuous  regeneration  the  work- 
ability of  which  is  proven  by  a  score  of  adopted 
amendments. 

Is  it  a  small  thing  to  have  for  your  spiritual  back- 
bone a  nationally  fundamental  declaration  that  all 
men  are  born  free  and  equal  and  are  endowed  with 
the  inalienable  right  to  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness? 

Should  such  a  boon  be  permitted  to  be  taken  as 
a  convenient  birthday  present  by  some  ambitious 
potentate  or  their  ennui-tortured  hangers-on?  Or 
do  you  believe  that  any  of  their  kind  would  have 
conscientious  scruples  about  taking  it?  If  you  do 
believe  that  you  are  badly  mistaken.     Training  and 


356  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

tradition  alike  breeds  inclinations  that  cause  them 
to  feel  satisfaction  and  see  their  glory  in  the  en- 
slavement of  their  own  nation  and  in  the  trampling 
under  foot  of  other  peoples'  rights.  Who  would 
expect  consideration  or  even  mercy  at  their  hands 
unless  it  be  at  the  cost  of  thraldom? 

Quite  a  number  of  persons  cherish  the  opinion 
that  it  would  make  no  difference  in  their  lot  if  our 
republican  form  of  government  were  superseded  by 
a  monarchy,  with  any  divine-right  exponent  in 
charge,  not  excluding  the  Kaiser.  And  right  they 
are  to  a  certain  extent.  Tlieir  wages  might  not  be 
less,  their  rent  might  not  be  more  and  their  social 
standing  might  remain  the  same.  But  how  about 
the  great  mass  of  others.?  And  how  about  the  tools 
to  right  every  wrong  complained  of? 

Is  the  right  to  have  a  full  voice  in  all  governmental 
affairs  not  worth  more  than  the  fifty  millionth  part 
of  a  chance  to  be  made  a  Knight  of  something  or 
other? 

Is  the  opportunity  to  initiate  a  change  in  the  city, 
state  and  national  laws  of  no  more  value  than  the 
prospect  to  be  jailed  for  "majestats  beleidigung" 
at  the  mere  mention  of  desiring  a  change  of  rulers? 

The  curtailment  of  free  speech  and  free  press  and 
free  assembly  brought  on  by  the  exigencies  of  the 
war  cannot  be  ascribed  to  national  character.  The 
peaceful  citizen,  whom  a  professional  assailant 
dragged  into  the  gutter,  will  not  be  judged  by  the 
mud  on  his  clothes,  though  while  in  the  gutter  both 
may  look  alike. 

We  must  submit  in  every  aspect  to  military  re- 
quirements while  war  is  on,  but  with  the  militaristic 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  357 

governments    of   Europe   this    is    a    fare    constantly 
served. 

Strange,  that  some  workmen  who  scream  murder 
at  a  ten  per  cent  reduction  in  wages,  cannot  see  loss 
in  the  reduction  of  political  liberty  to  half  or  less 
than  half  of  what  already  had  been  attained. 

Why  not  look   adverse  possibilities   in   the   face? 

Here  is  one: 

Imagine  a  Maximilian  establishing  himself  to  the 
south  or  to  the  north  of  the  United  States,  in  the 
business  of  owning  and  running  one  of  those  per- 
fected war  machines ;  how  long  before  even  the  goal 
of  getting  riches  would  be  superseded  by  the  ambi- 
tion to  excel  in  military  preparedness?  How  long 
before  this  continent  too  would  be  turned  into  one 
gigantic  charnel  house? 

As  for  excuses  to  start  a  war,  they  can  easily  be 
found  and  still  easier  manufactured.  Historical  ac- 
counts permit  the  rendering  of  any  kind  of  a  bill  by 
anybody  disposed  to  collect  thereon.  Secret  diplo- 
macy and  sinister  disposition  can  always  engineer 
schemes  to  produce  war-like  mood.  The  great  public 
enthusiasm  displayed  on  the  ruler's  declaring  war  is 
as  made-to-order  as  mobilization  itself. 

Pursuant  martial  ambition,  every  conceit  and 
every  prejudice  is  made  use  of,  but  nothing  lends 
itself  readier  to  such  design  than  inbred  pride  and 
hatred  along  racial  and  nationalistic  lines.  Each  one 
of  these  maintained  a  regular  Junta  here.  (Some  of 
them  are  squelched  for  the  time  being  but  not  ex- 
terminated.) These  agencies  arranged  grand  recep- 
tions to  the  Kaiser's  brother,  accepted  churchbells 
and  other  considerations  from  the  Czar,  and  filled 


358  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

page  on  page  in  the  press  with  the  wonderful  social 
doings  of  Counts  and  Lords.  Which  of  these  agen- 
cies would  refuse  acceptance  of  anything  offered  by 
their  royal  patrons  in  conjunction  with  opportunity 
in  America? 

And  all  such  endeavor  has  been  flattered  and  nur- 
tured by  the  shortsighted  politician;  procuring  for 
"leaders"  office  or  at  least  promising  it,  who  in  turn 
could  promote  foreign  interest  and  foreign  allegiance 
by  that  very  token.  The  practice  had  been  usually 
explained  with  the  story  that  a  man  may  love  his 
mother  without  being  faithless  to  his  wife.  But  what 
did  the  love  consist  of?  In  keeping  groups  of  people 
from  learning  a  common  language,  in  preventing  so- 
cial intercourse  among  them,  and  the  constant  fan- 
ning of  complaints,  quarrels,  jealousies  and  hatreds 
contracted  in  the  land  which  they  voluntarily  left 
behind.  The  very  first  booklet,  it  so  happens,  pub- 
lished by  the  writer  twenty-six  years  ago,  was  in 
protest  against  the  insane  perpetuation  of  old  world 
enmities  in  a  new  world  that  had  nothing  to  do  with 
it  and  has  enough  problems  of  its  own.  Still,  even 
now,  some  play  with  fires  that  happen,  for  the  mo- 
ment, to  burn  in  a  desired  direction. 

A  third  danger  lurks  from  within,  married  to  with- 
out. This  of  course  has  no  reference  to  love  mar- 
riages, but  to  the  marriage  of  wealth;  the  so-called 
titled  marriages  of  which  many  had  been  arranged. 
Did  you  ever  think  of  their  practical  bearings  in 
regard  to  social  problems  and  national  safety? 

Titled  marriages  are  a  fusion  of  old  world  aris- 
tocracy with  the  new  world  plutocracy,  entered  into 
on  the  part  of  the  second  party  in  order  to  have  the 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  359 

traditional  sword-bearer  defend  its  somehow-gotten 
gains  in  case  of  an  attempt  at  socialistic  restoration ; 
and  sought  on  the  part  of  the  second  party  with  the 
view  to  establish  here  strong  gun-bases  wherewith  and 
wherefrom  the  liberties  of  the  people  can  be  cam- 
paigned against  at  the  first  opportunity. 

Some  of  the  lords  and  counts  are  in  opposing 
camps  at  present,  but  that  is  only  incidental  to  their 
calling  and  does  not  flow  from  their  character.  They 
were  comrades  in  arms  before  and  will  be  such  again. 

Other  and  by  chance  more  proximately  dangerous 
possibilities  are  perhaps  best  not  spoken  of.  Suffi- 
cient data  has  been  offered  to  prove  that  on  the 
road  of  history  we  have  not  yet  reached  a  highway 
so  clear  and  so  safe  that  we  could  afford  going  along 
without  caution  and  without  care. 

Some  would  depend,  as  gamblers  do,  on  the  good 
graces  of  Chance.  Is  that  sensible  .^^  What  would  we 
say  of  architects,  shipwrights,  farmers,  or  anybody 
who  in  planning  a  course  of  work  would  take  into 
account  the  chance  of  good  turns  and  fair  weather 
only  ? 

Some  again  like  to  depend  on  belief.  They  have  a 
belief  and  think  that  that  is  sufficient  for  one's  part 
in  the  great  world's  work.  But,  evidently,  minds  so 
disposed  have  not  yet  reached  the  responsible  state 
of  maturity.  For  such  social  progress  offers  no 
problems,  facts  have  no  bearing  and  history  conveys 
no  lesson. 

But  to  the  normal  mind  the  question  naturally 
arises :  what  is  a  well-intentioned  people  to  do  in 
order  to  protect  itself  against  external  spoilage  with- 
out succumbing  to  internal  ruination.? 


360  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

The  following  three  chapters  are  submitted  in  an- 
swer to  that  question : 


III 


GOVERNMENTAL     W^AR     PREVENTION     POLICY 

Of  course,  all  governments  are  expected  and  they 
profess  to  do  their  utmost  all  the  time  in  the  direc- 
tion indicated  by  above  heading. 

However,  governments  sometimes  fall  short  of 
what  is  expected  of  them.  But  even  if  in  our  own 
case  the  political  management  be  faultless,  sugges- 
tions for  the  advancement  of  this  policy  cannot  be 
out  of  order.  So  the  following  ideas  are  respect- 
fully commended  to  persons  in  position  to  translate 
them  into  national  and  international  life. 

First  Suggestion. — Invite  criticism  instead  of  re- 
senting it.  This  does  not  mean  to  court  intellectual 
sabotage  in  the  working  machinery  of  organized  ex- 
istence. Nor  to  call  forth  a  venomous  flow  of  words 
concocted  to  destroy  liberties  already  attained.  All 
who  sincerely  seek  and  offer  honest  criticism  do  so 
with  an  eye  for  improvement  only. 

Now,  could  not  this  principle  which  brought  the 
fine  arts  to  great  perfection  be  applied  in  a  system- 
atic way  to  improve  international  relations.'* 

Perhaps  it  would  be  well  for  our  government  to 
offer  a  yearly  prize  of  one  million  dollars  for  the 
most  candid  and  most  helpful  essays  pointing  out 
wherein  we  offend  and  how  the  fault  might  be  avoided 
or  rectified. 

A  fraction  of  the  monej^  might  be  used  at  home, 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  361 

but  the  bulk  of  it  should  be  distributed  to  our  em- 
bassies abroad;  they  to  advertise  for  a  contest 
amongst  objectors  to  our  conduct,  awarding  juries 
to  be  composed  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  leave  out 
the  chiefly  dissatisfied. 

It  would  be  a  well-spent  million  dollars  a  year  that 
enabled  us,  or  at  least  helped  us,  to  see  ourselves 
from  other  peoples'  point  of  view. 

Second  Suggestion. — Hasten  the  placing  of  power 
to  declare  war,  where  all  social  power  belongs,  in  the 
people — all  the  people,  including  women.  Decentral- 
ization of  war-making  power  is  a  crying  immediate 
necessity. 

As  the  just  power  of  government  is  derived  from 
the  consent  of  the  governed,  is  it  not  self-evident  that 
a  just  war  presupposes  the  consent  of  those  called 
upon  to  wage  it? 

Congressmen  who  vote  for  war  probably  have  an 
assurance  of  backing  from  their  constituents,  and 
the  fateful  question  put  to  a  general  vote  might 
bring  forth  the  same  decision.  But  what  a  differ- 
ence in  the  aspect!  One  way  is  tyranny,  the  other 
democracy,  even  as  certain  laws  forced  on  a  people 
are  tyrannical,  whereas  the  same  laws  agreed  on  by 
those  who  are  to  submit  to  them  is  the  acme  of 
liberty. 

Even  in  matters  of  small  concern,  progressive  com- 
munities apply  the  principles  of  public  initiative  and 
referendum,  and  rightly  so,  for  submitting  to  a  bad 
law  approved  by  the  majority  (until  it  can  be  re- 
pealed) is  good  citizenship;  but  submitting  to  such 
a  law  imposed  by  a  dictator,  without  protest,  stamps 
one  a  slave. 


362  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Some  men  carry  the  ideal  of  democracy  not  so 
much  on  their  lips  as  in  their  hearts.  Some  of  these 
may  oppose  a  particular  war.  If  the  understanding 
of  the  majority  forces  them  into  the  conflict,  their 
plight  is  none  too  sweet;  but  if  they  cannot  have 
even  that  much  of  spiritual  support  for  a  stand 
they  abhor,  it  becomes  a  crucifixion  of  the  soul  for 
which  there  is  no  justification  on  earth. 

Let  no  one  say  that  taking  a  vote  on  the  question 
of  declaring  war  is  impractical  or  impossible.  The 
writer  was  called  on  by  about  half  a  hundred  per- 
sons to  contribute  toward  requirements  of  the  war. 
Could  he  not  have  been  asked  once  whether  or  not 
to  unsheathe  the  sword? 

A  fraction  of  the  energy  spent  in  prosecuting  a 
war  applied  to  its  truly  democratic  induction  would 
free  the  few  from  responsibility  for  the  catastrophe, 
if  not  altogether  prevent  it. 

Third  Suggestion. — Absolute  renouncement  of 
further  territorial  expansion  by  other  than  perfectly 
peaceful  arrangements. 

This  is  necessary  because  both  our  neighbors  have 
some  historical  reasons  to  fear  being  swallowed  up 
by  the  big  fish  of  the  continent.  A  glance  at  the 
map  shows  that  geographically  Canada,  the  United 
States  and  Mexico  belong  together,  and  our  very 
proximity  should  urge  us  to  allay  their  fears.  The 
President's  declaration  is  good  as  far  as  it  carries, 
but  it  may  not  be  considered  sufficient.  For  one 
thing  our  Presidents  change,  and  for  another  thing 
one  may  be  elected  on  a  platform  pledging  to  strive 
for  a  single  term  of  office,  and  a  few  weeks  later  ac- 
cept   from    the    home-town    an    executive's    summer 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  363 

home,  offered  for  two  terms,  as  a  matter  of  course. 
Little  things  Hke  that  may  serve  to  weaken  reliance 
in  declarations  afterward  made. 

The  suggestion  here  offered  should  be  incorpo- 
rated in  our  national  constitution,  pledging  us  all  to 
observe  and  maintain  it. 

If  the  governments  of  these  three  countries  shall 
be  organically  united,  even  as  Creation  united  their 
territories,  let  the  unity  come  about  through  intelli- 
gent free  will,  and  not  by  any  mode  of  coercion,  not 
to  speak  of  war. 

The  United  States  houses  within  its  confines  mil- 
lions of  working  men  and  working  women  who  were 
not  brought  here  as  captives,  but  came  of  their  own 
volition.  They  came  to  escape  the  grind  of  militar- 
ism, to  enjoy  economic  and  educational  advantages, 
and  to  bask  in  the  larger  liberty  prevailing  here. 

On  the  same  principle,  let  Dame  Columbia  be  so 
good,  so  polite,  so  just,  and,  withal,  so  attractive, 
that  our  neighbors,  in  their  own  good  time,  may  con- 
sider it  the  best  of  fortune  and  the  greatest  of  all 
privileges  to  join  in  the  millennial  administration  of 
one  war-frictionless  continent. 

Fourth  Suggestion. — Promulgate  an  ironclad  dec- 
laration that  the  United  States  will  not  collect,  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet,  interest  on  or  principals  of 
investments  in  foreign  countries. 

While  commerce  likes  to  have  a  hand  in  the 
making  of  laws,  it  can  also  conform  to  statutes, 
whatever  they  be.  If  a  bill  is  collectible,  we  collect 
it ;  and  if  it  is  not,  we  don't,  or  have  none  to  collect. 
The  trouble  comes  only  when  men  give  goods,  or  serv- 
ice, or  invest  money  under  the  impression  that  the 


364  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

sheriff  is  duty  bound  to  collect  both  principal  and 
interest — with  gun  in  hand,  if  necessary. 

Well,  that  should  never  be  necessary.  If  hereto- 
fore investments  were  made  in  reliance  of  a  sheriff's 
badge  on  Uncle  Sam's  bosom,  let  Shylock  have  his 
pound  of  flesh,  but  without  the  shedding  of  blood. 
Let  the  government  compensate  the  innocent  inves- 
tors in  part  or  in  full.  At  any  rate,  the  biU  would 
amount  to  only  a  fraction  of  the  costs  of  war,  not 
counting  withered  lives,  mutilated  bodies,  broken 
hearts,  and  agonized  souls,  all  of  which  is  a  portion 
of  conquering  nations  no  less  than  that  of  the 
conquered. 

Fifth  Suggestion. — Abolish  Midas  interest  in  pro- 
voking and  protracting  war. 

Midas,  like  the  king  he  was,  wanted  nothing  so 
much  as  gold!  So  he  desired  that  everything  he 
touched  be  turned  to  gold.  His  wish  came  true,  and 
when  the  most  exquisite  culinary  productions,  on 
being  touched  by  his  lips,  turned  yellow  metal,  nobody 
had  to  regret  it  but  the  king  himself. 

Under  the  profiteering  and  even  plain  profit  sys- 
tem of  producing  goods,  the  kings  of  capital  trans- 
mute their  interest  into  precious  metal  without 
touching  anything  outside  a  pen  to  sign  checks  for 
whatever  they  want  to  buy. 

This  fairy  gift  helped  the  development  of  many  a 
great  industry,  but  some,  like  the  swallower  of  sobri- 
ety, causes  floods  of  pain  and  regret,  not  to  the 
profiteer  or  profitor,  but  to  hosts  of  victims  and  their 
friends.  Would  such  industries  work  the  havoc  they 
do  were  not  men  pushing  it  with  interests  at  stake 
approaching  or  exceeding  that  of  a  fairy  gift.'' 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  365 

Senatorial  brochures  exposed  certain  connections 
between  advocates  of  war  and  the  owners  of  war 
industries.  These  connections,  without  tending  to 
incriminate  anyone,  leave  the  impression  that  some 
patriots  are  not  as  far  removed  from  impure  incen- 
tives as  the  grave  importance  of  the  case  requires 
that  all  should  be. 

Now,  physicians  and  undertakers  depend  for  a 
living  on  people  falling  sick  and  dying;  yet  it  were 
preposterous  to  think  that  they  fill  the  air  with  all 
sorts  of  naughty  germs,  bacilli  and  the  like,  to  pro- 
mote their  own  prosperity.  Still,  there  are  some  in 
the  profession  who  are  no  great  champions  of  public 
sanitation  and  proper  living  (includes  proper  con- 
ditions of  living).  And  some  there  are  whose  con- 
sciences do  not  balk  at  increasing  revenue  by  not 
allowing  patients  to  recover  quickly.  (Healing  and 
sanitation  should  be  nationalized  first  of  all.  Our 
physicians  should  be  paid  for  keeping  us  all  well, 
and  not  one  should  prosper  by  keeping  some  of  us 
in  the  sick  bed.) 

So,  in  the  case  of  a  great  nationwide,  fatally  dan- 
gerous disease,  there  should  be  none  influenced  the 
wrong  way  through  gold-yielding  prospects  in  the 
possibilities  of  wholesale  undertaking. 

Sia^th  Suggestion. — Establish  a  free  national  peo- 
ple's university. 

This  should  be  a  sort  of  a  continuation  school  for 
those  whose  lot  or  occupation  requires  an  early  part- 
ing from  the  regular  schools,  and  also  a  reminder  for 
those  who  had  sufficient  schooling  not  to  forget  what 
they  have  learned. 

If  it  is  good  for  the  state  to  teach  children  read- 


366  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

ing,  writing  and  arithmetic,  there  is  no  denying  the 
advantage  gained  for  the  body  politic  by  a  wide  and 
free  distribution  of  higher  knowledge  enabling  people 
to  make  better  use  of  the  elementary  kind. 

Besides,  new  problems  are  springing  up  all  the 
time,  as  if  from  the  very  well  of  life.  All  the  work 
solving  them  should  not  be  left  to  the  few  legislators 
in  Congress.  Not  all  fit  for  the  post  can  be  there, 
and  some  good  may  always  be  expected  from  Intel- 
lectual Bethlehem. 

Grownups,  instead  of  doing  sums  must  sum  up 
deeds,  and  instead  of  reducing  fractions  reduce 
friction. 

A  public  desire  for  such  institution  is  manifested 
through  the  many  Open  Forums  springing  up  all 
over  the  country.  Some  are  less  sincere  than  others, 
but  all  prove  that  the  gauge  of  the  narrow  mind  is 
being  worn  away. 

The  objects  and  aims  of  one  such  fully  pledged 
organization  is  (name  omitted)  given  herewith. 

Object:  To  maintain,  on  a  cooperative  basis,  a 
Free  Platform  and  Open  Forum  for  discussing  ob- 
jects that  pertain  to  the  public  welfare  and  subjects 
of  general  interest;  with  Lectures,  Discussions  and 
the  Debates  so  conducted  that  all  opinions  may  have 
a  fair  hearing,  and  people  of  DIFFERENT  MINDS 
and  SYMPATHIES  MEET  ON  EQUAL  TERMS 
in  pursuance  of  the  following  aims,  to  wit : 

Further  the  study  of  arts  and  sciences. 

Disseminate  knowledge. 

Augment  physical  well  being. 

Develop  and  increase  moral  strength. 

Stimulate  mental  growth. 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  367 

Encourage  independent  thinking. 

Aid  in  the  search  of  truth. 

Advance  truth  for  authority,  not  vice  versa. 

Overcome  sectional  and  sectarian  enmities. 

Cultivate  mutual  toleration  and  respect. 

Raise  the  ethical  standards  and  hold  them  high. 

Increase  the  humane  factor  in  human  affairs. 

Help  improve  conditions  of  living. 

Appreciate  worthy  efforts,  past  or  present. 

Broaden  and  deepen  the  channels  of  understandmg. 

Intensify  personal  and  social  responsibility. 

Promote    regard    for    and    application    of    social 

equity. 

Accelerate  the  sociaUzation  of  wisdom. 
Enhance  the  value  of  human  life  and  feUowship. 
Contribute   towards   perfection   of   the   individual 

and  the  state.  . 

Individuals  can  do  considerable  good  work  with  and 
in  a  university  of  this  kind  (the  one  here  referred  to 
is  in  the  seventh  successful  season  of  its  career),  but 
like  the  setting  of  time  ahead  one  hour  (to  use 
precious  daylight)  had  to  be  sanctioned,  supported 
and  pushed  through  governmental  agencies,  so  a  teU- 
ing  increase  in  the  use  of  quite  as  precious  intellec- 
tual light  would  be  attained  by  the  government's 
pushing  the  brain-clocks  somewhat  ahead. 

Seventh   Suggestion.— An   exchange   of   nationals 

on  a  large  scale. 

Whatever  may  be  the  motive  instigating  war, 
whatever  the  semblance  of  reason  advanced  to  justify 
it,  and  whatever  the  real  objective  war  lords  seek  to 
attain,  they  and  their  chief  engineers  work  through 
certain  existing  psychological  elements. 


368  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

All  the  sophistry  on  earth  would  not  suffice  to  turn 
good,  kind,  intelligent  men  of  peace  into  enthusiasti- 
cally murdering  soldiers  of  war,  were  it  not  for  the 
predisposing  elements  of  conceit  and  prejudice,  traits 
much  quicker  discerned  in  others  than  ourselves. 

Without  being  the  cause  of  armed  conflicts,  race 
prejudice  is  being  used  as  a  main  ingredient  in  pre- 
paring hell-broths  of  war  witchcraft. 

How  is  it  to  be  overcome? 

It  must  be  overcome  through  friendly  intermin- 
gling of  races  and  nationalities  instead  of  war  ac- 
quaintanceship of  which,  alas!  we  have  so  much. 
For  no  matter  how  the  war  is  started  nor  how  it 
stops,  it  does  not  leave  a  sweet  taste  in  the  mouth; 
and  the  bitterness  of  each  memory  is  used  with  un- 
failing effect  to  engender  a  warmer  partisanship  for 
the  warlord  and  a  hotter  enmity  toward  the  people 
campaigned  against. 

Tribes  of  Israel  fought  each  other  as  long  as  they 
could.  Greek  fought  Greek,  Germans  had  a  war  of 
thirty  years'  duration  among  themselves,  not  to  men- 
tion lesser  engagements.  The  War  of  the  Roses  was 
a  family  affair.  Even  so  young  a  nation  as  the 
United  States  had  the  War  of  the  Revolution  the 
War  of  1812,  and  a  four  years'  Civil  War  to  show 
that  other  things  than  race  qualities  provoke  the 
arbitration  of  arms. 

None  the  less,  race  prejudice  plays  so  large  a  part 
in  what  we  wish  to  avoid  that  its  extinction  cannot 
be  accomplished  too  fast  or  too  soon. 

Can  we  do  anything  in  the  matter?  Most  as- 
suredly. 

The  world  is  bound  to  intermingle.     It  took  two 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  369 

hundred  years  of  crusading  for  western  Europe  to 
find  out  that  the  East  was  not  as  Godless  as  painted. 
Should  we  not  acquire  knowledge  in  a  more  civiHzed 
way? 

We  niingle  now,   through  the  exigencies   of  war. 

Many  of  our  sick  and  wounded  are  in  the  care  of 
the  enemy  and  as  many  of  theirs  are  being  treated 
in  our  hospitals.  Who  could  tell  the  number  of  war 
prisoners  supplied  with  room  and  board  by  the  sev- 
eral belligerents.'^  Were  it  not  more  pleasant  to  feed 
and  house  as  many  guests  .^^ 

Our  government  might  offer  each  year,  to  every 
nation  willing  to  reciprocate,  good  care,  board  and 
schooling  for  several  thousand  boys  (and  girls,  too, 
for  that  matter),  say,  from  six  to  twelve  years  of 
age.  The  children  should  be  placed  in  care  of  fam- 
ilies under  suitable  supervision  of  the  consulate. 
After  a  certain  probationary  period,  all  parties 
agreeing,  they  might  be  adopted  for  good  and  aye, 
subject,  of  course,  to  the  approval  of  the  child  when 
becoming  of  age.  If  in  the  course  of  time  such  adop- 
tions would  become  numerous,  a  certain  poetic  justice 
might  be  had  in  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  hate 
a  person  because  of  the  mere  sound  of  his  or  her 
name.  Also,  the  more  friends  we  have  in  a  country 
the  more  difficult  it  becomes  to  hate  it. 

Of  course,  the  very  prejudice  we  seek  to  overcome 
would  not  only  ridicule  but  strenuously  oppose  such 
a  move.  Few  parents  could  bring  themselves  to  sac- 
rifice on  the  altar  of  Peace  the  nearness  of  their 
children,  though  the  many  must  sacrifice  the  breath 
of  life  on  the  altars  of  War. 

But,  then,  the  world  is  full  of  orphans,  and  per- 


370  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

haps  they  might  be  the  proper  parties  to  begin  such 
an  exchange  with.  Perhaps  even  enemy  countries 
would  enter  into  such  an  arrangement.  If  so,  per- 
haps the  feehng  of  revenge  which  the  sight  of  your 
orphans  evoke  would  be  tempered,  and  who  knows 
but  at  sight  of  the  orphans  of  others  the  sinning 
heart  would  resolve  to  repent? 

Who  knows  but  these  very  orphans  whom  our  gen- 
eration has  crushed  with  the  stone  of  war  might  live 
to  lift  the  world  another  step  out  of  savagery,  re- 
deeming mankind  by  giving  it  the  bread  of  peace 
from  the  oven  of  mutual  understanding.   .   .   . 

We  exchange  now  the  salvage  of  the  battlefields. 
Men  maimed  and  battered,  blind,  without  legs,  with- 
out arms,  all  ruined  into  helplessness,  who  had  been 
picked  up  on  the  battlefields  and  were  restored  a 
scanty  breath  of  life,  are  sent  to  a  central  exchange  in 
Switzerland,  and  there  cripple  is  returned  for  cripple. 

Were  it  not  better  to  exchange  hale  and  hearty 
youngsters  with  the  prospect  of  joyous  adventure, 
learning,  wisdom,  and  friendship  for  them  and  for  us? 

Eighth  Suggestion. — Inaugurate  the  era  of  world 
peace  by  organizing  its  nucleus. 

The  League  of  Nations,  to  preserve  international 
peace,  is  spoken  of  favorably  by  many  persons  hold- 
ing positions  of  high  responsibility.  It  seems  the 
realization  of  the  idea  is  but  a  matter  of  time  and 
proper  approachment.  Happily,  events  tend  that 
way,  small,  new  nations  being  in  special  need  of 
this  boon. 

Now,  what  nation  is  more  fitted  than  the  United 
States  to  initiate  and  champion  the  move  toward 
world  unity?  Here,  more  than  anywhere  else,  friendly 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  371 

intercourse  among  the  people  depends  on  peace 
among  the  nations,  the  people  here  to  a  very  large 
extent  being  a  composite  of  them  all. 

From  this  as  well  as  the  highest  consideration  of 
humanity  our  government  might  invite  others  to  call 
into  existence  the  embryonic  substance  of  the  future 
international  parliament. 

Allies,  neutrals  and  adversaries,  all  should  be  in- 
vited. The  conference  need  have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  war  in  progress  (or  a  particular  war  may  be 
exempted  from  consideration),  agreeing  only  on  the 
desirability  of  the  end  sought. 

Certain  questions  having  been  submitted  to  the 
jury  of  cannon  balls,  aerial  bombs,  submarines  and 
the  like,  we  all  must  await  their  decision,  but  will 
all  abide  by  it? 

A  gathering  of  accredited  representatives  from 
the  several  nations  could  certainly  work  out  some- 
thing in  the  way  of  a  plan  by  which  differences  in 
the  future  could  be  settled  without  recourse  to  arms 
— if  they  were  only  so  disposed ! 

Now,  if  every  one  of  the  foregoing  suggestions 
(and  others  more  to  the  purpose  if  not  better 
meant)  would  be  vitalized  with  the  living  force  of 
action,  the  millennium,  though  it  might  be  consider- 
ably nearer,  would  still  not  be  here. 

Still,  grievances  would  gather  force,  tempers 
would  flare  up,  and  nineteen-twentieths  of  the  world 
would  have  to  be  heard  from.  And  so  the  problem 
looms  up  large  and  real:  how  to  secure  efficient  and 
sufficient  protection  in  case  it  must  be  had  without 
being  forever  at  the  mercy  of  a  military  Franken- 
stein ? 


372  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

IV 

INDUSTRIAL    ARMY    OF     NATIONAL    SERVICE    AND 
DEFENSE 

In  a  spiritual  sense  the  doctrine  of  non-resistance 
works  out  all  right.  If  a  fellow  desires  to  receive  a 
piece  of  our  mind,  we  can  afford  to  be  generous  and 
treat  him  to  an  additional  dose.  All  kinds  of  ideas 
are  almost  and  often  really  forced  upon  a  reluctant 
multitude.  We  can  take  all  the  knowledge  out  of  a 
library  without  being  molested,  but  rather  wiU  every- 
body praise  us  for  the  feat.  But  the  books  we  must 
leave  or  return  to  their  shelves,  and  when  it  comes 
to  things  absolutely  needed  to  sustain  life,  we  do, 
we  must  stand  up  for  them  as  for  life  itself.  .  .  . 
Some  pious  people  hope  to  conquer  evil  by  not  resist- 
ing it ;  however,  historical  records  fail  to  show  many 
if  any  worthy  accomplishments  ascribable  to  that 
doctrine. 

In  the  course  of  social  evolution  so  great  was  the 
need  for  man  to  exert  himself  in  defense  of  his  own 
that  a  certain  combative  spirit  resulted  which  neither 
the  individual  nor  yet  the  nation  can  well  afford 
to  be  entirely  without. 

So  our  problem  is  to  turn  the  pushing  power  of 
this  spirit  into  the  pistons  of  social  service  through 
a  productive  organization  (set  up  on  the  grandest 
conceivable  scale)  that  can  also  be  relied  on  for 
efficient  national  defense  if  the  emergency  of  war 
arises  despite  all  our  efforts  to  avoid  it. 

At  broaching  the  idea  of  an  Industrial  Army  a 
host  of  questions  arise  in  regard  to  organizing,  offi- 
cering,   financing    and    political    administration    of 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  373 

such  an  institution.  The  answers  follow  in  due 
order. 

The  Industrial  Army,  as  above  indicated,  should 
be  directly  designed  to  bestow  the  blessings  of 
labor  wherever  it  may  improve  the  surroundings  of 
life  and  conditions  of  living;  at  the  same  time,  by 
keeping  each  unit  trained  or  at  least  in  ready  posi- 
tion to  practice  some  part  of  the  military  calling, 
so  as  to  be  always  ready  for  turning  the  plow- 
shares of  industry  into  implements  of  defense  pro- 
ducing national  safety. 

The  organization  should  have  ample  scope  for 
useful  competition,  dangerous  adventures  and  glori- 
ous achievements ;  so  that  lovers  of  contest,  searchers 
for  thrills  and  seekers  for  fame  need  not  long  for 
wartimes,  but  may,  through  constructive  efforts, 
learn  to  know  the  joys  of  satisfied  ambition. 

Building  houses,  cleaning  towns,  renovating  old 
cities  and  establishing  new  ones ;  clearing,  planting, 
cultivating,  harvesting  fields;  running  industrial 
plants  of  all  descriptions  :  mills,  mines  and  factories — 
all  of  that  and  more  the  Industrial  Army  should  and 
could  do  with  the  tremendous  energy  and  wonderful 
eclat  of  great  military  operations. 

There  should  be  regiments  of  bakers,  carpenters, 
plumbers,  masons,  garment  makers,  painters,  nurses, 
cooks,  printers,  teachers,  actors,  writers  and  all  the 
way  through  the  list  of  socially  needed  endeavor. 
Each  of  these  should  be  supplied  with  all  the  frills, 
insignia  and  emoluments  that  bring  efficiency  to  the 
highest  pitch. 

In  the  wake  of  such  an  army  fields  would  prosper, 
cities  would  bloom  and  mankind  indulge  in  joyous 


374  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

celebrations.  A  productive  industrial  army  would 
scatter  wealth  and  happiness  as  an  invading  military 
host  scatters  death  and  desolation.  It  would  build 
a  city  in  much  less  time  than  any  kaiser  could  ever 
destroy  one. 

Of  course,  the  Industrial  Army  would  have  to  be 
recruited  through  conscription.  More  people  are 
bent  on  avoiding  the  task  of  labor  than  seek  to  escape 
military  service,  although  conscientious  scruples  are 
out  of  the  case  and  only  muscular  objections  prevail. 

The  word  conscription  has  a  terrifying  sound  to 
some  because  of  its  connection  with  military  history, 
but  there  is  room  for  improvement  even  in  etymology 
and  many  sinners  of  the  word-kingdom  may  be  re- 
deemed by  putting  them  to  work  for  the  good  of 
humanity.  Prometheus  may  have  stolen  fire  from 
the  chariot  of  the  Sun  or  procured  light  and  heat 
from  the  plentiful  supply  of  the  underworld,  still, 
the  boon  is  precious  beyond  estimation. 

So,  the  project  of  an  industrial  army  to  be  more 
than  a  mere  utopian  scheme  or  Fourierian  phalanx, 
cannot  depend  for  materialization  on  the  good-wiU 
of  a  few.  It  must  have  country-wide  support  and 
must  be  taken  in  hand  by  the  organizing  agencies 
of  the  nation. 

Starting  from  where  we  are,  perhaps  it  were  best 
to  set  no  limit  to  draft  ages.  Call  an  army  as  a  sort 
of  inland  defense,  equip  it  with  the  tools  of  produc- 
tion and  engage  it  in  a  crusade  on  squalor,  bad  hous- 
ing, unsanitary  conditions,  miserable  transportation 
and  every  other  ill  that  afflicts  everyday  life. 

Supplying  the  Industrial  Army  with  the  required 
administrative    machinery,    that    is,    officering    the 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  375 

organization,   may    seem    to   be   an   insurmountable 
difficulty;  however,  it  is  not  so. 

Injustice,  unfairness,  favoritism  of  every  sort  can 
be  absolutely  avoided  by  a  method  of  ruling  that 
because  of  its  practical  humaneness  may  well  be 
honored  with  the  new  name  HOMOCRACY. 

nomocracy  means  the  rule  of  the  fit  without  cast- 
ing the  ignominy  of  the  unfit  on  all  whom  chance 
excludes  from  the  higher  position.  Further  on  this 
statement  will  be  duly  elucidated;  here  it  is  only 
necessary  to  show  the  working  of  the  principle  by 
applying  it  to  a  concrete  example. 

A  regiment  of  bakers  is  to  be  organized  to  be  com- 
posed of,  say,  twenty  companies.  They  are  to  be 
placed  in  as  many  stations  throughout  the  land  com- 
missioned to  supply  the  staff  of  life  in  the  most 
economic,  sanitary,  appetizing  and  all  around  de- 
sirable manner.  This  regiment  would  need  twenty 
captains  or  managers  besides  higher  and  lower 
officers.  How  appoint  or  select  them  without  causing 
the  endless  murmurings  of  dissatisfaction,  jealousies, 
heartburns,  incriminations  and  recriminations  that 
go  with  handing  out  what  is  known  as  "political 
plums?"     Here  is  the  answer: 

Candidates  for  the  several  offices  shall  pass  a  sort 
of  civil  service  examination  as  rigid  and  as  exacting 
as  the  responsibility  involved  requires,  also  needed 
technical  examinations  where  that  is  necessary.  The 
names  of  all  successful  candidates  are  to  be  placed 
in  a  glass  receptacle  and  the  selection  from  among 
these  shall  be  entrusted  to  the  turn  of  a  wheel  in  full 
public  view.  The  balance  of  names  would  be  held 
for  future  use  in  times  of  expiration,  sickness,  recall, 


376  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

resignation  or  death.  Let  no  one  understand  the 
idea  here  proposed  as  a  government  by  chance,  for 
it  is  nothing  of  the  kind. 

The  root  of  the  word  homocracy  in  Latin  means 
man ;  in  Greek  it  means  same  or  equal.  Both  mean- 
ings together  should  convey  the  idea  of  rule  by 
humanized  equality  or  equalized  humanity;  a  govern- 
ment by  qualification,  excluding  family  cabals,  sec- 
tional prejudices  and  bank  accounts  from  being 
factors  in  control  of  the  powers  of  government. 

Thus  all  would  have  an  incentive  to  make  them- 
selves fit  and  able  and  worthy  of  holding  office  while 
the  gerrymandering  of  professional  office  seekers 
together  with  the  foolish  conceit  of  the  office  holders 
would  be  relegated  to  the  mistakes  of  the  past. 

As  to  financing  of  the  industrial  army:  experience 
has  shown  that  when  there  is  a  will  and  a  need  for  it, 
billions  can  be  raised  where  only  millions  were  col- 
lected before.  For  the  purpose  of  constructive  work 
these  billions  can  be  easily  multiplied  from  existing 
capital  to  start  with  and  then  from  the  flow  of  val- 
ues created  by  a  gigantic  productive  organization. 

Capital  drafted  for  constructive  purposes  would 
in  reality  be  but  a  placing  of  money  from  one  pocket 
into  another.  It  would  make  Uncle  Sam  a  rich 
capitalist  producing  more  and  still  more  riches  all 
the  time  and  compensating  money  losers  through 
direct  service  and  rewarding  them  and  their  descen- 
dants a  thousandfold  as  the  years  roll  by. 

Voluntary  and  semi-voluntary  contributions  can- 
not be  depended  on.  There  are  too  many  mighty 
rich  men  preserving  their  millions  intact  by  prevail- 
ing on  the  poor  widow  to  part  from  her  mite — often 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  377 

to  the  detriment  of  her  very  health.  No  village,  no 
city,  no  state,  is  run  on  voluntary  contributions; 
why  expect  great  national  undertakings  to  depend 
on  such? 

Either  a  person  is  in  a  position  to  contribute  or 
he  is  not.  In  the  latter  case  why  bother,  shame, 
pester,  intimidate  or  coerce  one  to  give  up  the  little 
he  or  she  may  have.?  And  in  the  former  case  why 
permit  one  to  escape  from  fulfilling  his  or  her  obliga- 
tions ?  And  why  leave  people  in  doubt  on  which  side 
of  the  line  they  are  situated.? 

The  income  tax  is  a  fair  but  not  very  successful 
attempt  at  placing  burden  on  the  shoulders  best 
able  to  bear  it.  For  one  thing  the  burden  so  placed, 
in  many  cases,  can  easily  be  shifted;  for  another,  it 
leaves  the  lords  of  capital  in  full  control  of  land, 
public  utilities,  industrial  production  and  all  the 
main  supplies  of  social  existence.  Who  is  so  un- 
sophisticated as  to  think  that  they  cannot  or  will 
not  recoup  themselves  for  the  importunities  of  the 
taxgatherer.? 

Furthermore,  the  income  tax  leaves  persons  so 
disposed  to  loaf  in  luxury,  to  live  on  the  fat  of  the 
land  without  doing  the  least  work  for  it  in  exchange. 
A  man  working  ever  so  hard  and  earning  two  thou- 
sand dollars  a  year  pays  a  certain  amount  in  income 
tax,  another  man  doing  nothing  but  collecting  bank 
interest  on  $50,000  pays  no  more,  and  if  he  collects 
on  a  sum  one  dollar  less,  he  pays  nothing  at  all; 
surely  this  is  not  taxing  idleness. 

The  income  tax  should  be  modified  so  as  to  com- 
pel the  use  of  time,  land  and  capital  (Marxian 
definition)    and   to   prevent   their   abuse.      Loafing, 


378  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

wasting,  hoarding,  gambling  in  all  their  aspects  to 
be  considered  such  abuse. 

Parallel  with  the  graduated  income  tax  a  gradu- 
ated possession  tax  should  be  levied  (also  directed 
against  loafing,  hoarding,  wasting  and  gambling), 
reaching  up  to  the  highest  plutocratic  circles.  In 
this  manner  all  the  capital  required  for  the  in- 
dustrial army  would  be  forthcoming,  at  the  same 
time  industrious  inclinations  would  be  greatly  en- 
couraged and  a  most  powerful  impetus  given  to 
general  prosperity. 

The  remaining  question  in  regard  to  the  project 
of  an  industrial  army  pertains  to  the  political  con- 
trol of  the  same.  And  the  answer  is  that  political 
control  also  needs  to  go  through  a  process  of  refor- 
mation. 

Indeed,  no  human  activity,  industrial  or  social, 
causes  more  ill-feeling  and  greater  wastage  than 
political  competition.  Each  year  a  dozen  persons 
spend  much  effort,  money  and  temper  to  gain  a  posi- 
tion that  only  one  can  have.  Multiply  that  by  the 
number  of  offices  so  sought  and  the  waste  of  energ}'^ 
certainly   seems   appalling. 

Disregard  the  word-vaporings  due  to  political 
"boosting,"  "roasting,"  "manoeverings,"  "machina- 
tions," "wire  pulling,"  "double  crossing,"  et  cetera, 
and  most  of  the  contestants  will  be  found  equally 
good,  equally  able,  equally  worthy  citizens  of  the 
Republic. 

Who  will  say  that  in  New  York  City  (including 
Park  Row)  there  is  only  one  gentleman  or  lady  fit 
and  willing  to  be  mayor;  in  Massachusetts  (including 
Boston)    only    one    man    fit    to    be    governor;    and 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  379 

throughout  the  country  (East,  West,  South,  North), 
only  one  being  fit  to  be  President? 

Running  six  parallel  tracks  to  reach  the  same 
point  causes  less  wastage  than  running  six  political 
parties  to  fill  the  self-same  offices.  In  the  former 
case  each  does  some  service  and  can  show  some 
earnings,  but  in  the  latter  case  all  but  one  must 
count  their  labor  lost. 

With  the  principles  of  the  Initiative,  Referendum 
and  Recall  coming  to  the  fore,  tactics  and  conven- 
tions of  the  pohtical  parties  lose  their  great  im- 
portance. They  may  continue  to  be  of  great  benefit 
as  schools  of  old  traditions  and  new  ideas,  advocating 
doctrines,  promulgating  principles,  criticizing  or 
praising  public  activities  and  so  forming  helpful 
mundane  churches  devoted  to  the  people's  earthly  and 
social  interests. 

Take  the  power  of  office-distribution  from  politics 
and  party  influence  ceases  to  be  the  bugaboo  it  is  to 
those  without  a  given  combine. 

Political  like  industrial  offices  could  and  should 
be  made  subject  to  the  method  of  attainment  herein- 
before named,  Jiomocratic,  and  in  part  already 
described. 

Qualifications,  of  course,  should  be  set  high,  on 
as  high  a  plane  as  we  are  willing  to  be  judged  by  in 
foreign  countries  and  in  the  furthermost  times  to 
come. 

Aside  from  special  qualifications  required  for  each 
office,  candidates  should  be  able  to  subscribe  a  list 
of  pertinent  affirmations  to  include  the  following: 

I  am  immune  from  temptation  to  serve  tyrannical 


380  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

ambitions  of  a  potentate  abroad  or  the  special  in- 
terests of  a  plutocrat  at  home. 

I  am  also  free  from  the  desire  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  a  part  of  the  people  in  a  way  detrimental 
to  the  rest. 

I  studied,  I  am  studying  and  I  shall  always  be 
willing  to  learn  more. 

I  labored,  I  work  and  I  shall  (health  given  me) 
always  be  willing  to  work. 

I  consider  extravagant  over-compensation  of  one's 
own  effort  to  be  no  more  just  than  is  unscrupulous 
stock  inflation. 

I  listen  to  praise  without  succumbing  to  conceit 
and  to  blame  without  bursting  of  resentment. 

I  practice  the  golden  rule  intelligently,  even  if  I 
do  not  pay  to  preach  it. 

I  rejoice  in  the  happiness  of  others  and  wish  for 
myself  and  for  my  family  but  a  fair  share  of  all- 
around  prosperity. 

I  regard  success  at  the  cost  of  wide-spread  suffer- 
ing a  failure,  and  failure  in  the  attempt  to  have 
justice  prevail  a  success. 

I  propose  to  rescue  Opportunity  from  the  dubious 
existence  of  a  poor,  haunted  peddler  by  establishing 
her  in  a  magnificent  showroom  most  centrally  and 
conspicuously  located  and  always  accessible. 

So  much  to  begin  with.  Other  affirmations  may 
be  added  as  time,  locality  and  circumstances  may 
call  for. 

A  hundred  or  so  witnesses  (or  signatures  to  the 
same  effect)  confirming  the  claim  should  be  sufficient 
to  entitle  one  to  a  chance  of  a  minor  office. 

A  thousand   citizens  vouching  for  the   character 


■  SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  381 

(and  a  board  of  examiners  for  the  ability)  of  a  per- 
son should  make  him  or  her  eligible  to  the  mayoralty. 
The  support  of  ten  thousand  should  secure  one  a 
chance  to  occupy  the  governor's  chair  and  any 
person  whom  a  hundred  thousand  citizens  swear  by 
as  absolutely  dependable  should  be  considered  worthy 
of  a  chance  at  showing  what  he  or  she  could  do  in 
the  exalted  position  of  United  States  President. 

This  method  of  filling  offices  would  do  away  with 
electioneering,  do  away  with  all  the  good,  hard, 
honest  work  and  also  the  sinister  trappings  con- 
nected with  it.  The  way  to  the  esteem  of  fellow 
citizens  would  be  the  way  (and  no  other)  to  positions 
of  larger  responsibility.  And  all  who  earned  such 
esteem  would  stand  a  perfectly  equal  chance!  This 
would  be  a  true  and  full  exemplification  of  equal 
opportunity  urging  all  to  make  the  most  and  best 
of  themselves. 

Thus  we  should  probably  have  a  thousand  presi- 
dents in  reserve;  presumably  five  hundred  governors 
(in  each  state)  and  perhaps  a  hundred  worthy  citi- 
zens (in  a  city  of  100,000  population)  clothed  with 
all  the  honors  of  the  mayoralty  office  excepting  the 
office  itself,  which  had  fallen  to  the  incumbent  by 
the  law  of  chance  as  already  explained.  And  still 
more  could  aspire  for  the  honor  with  as  fair  a  pros- 
pect as  anybody  had. 

The  newness  of  the  idea  may  make  it  repellent  to 
some,  but  why  is  it  less  just  or  less  timely  to  draft 
men,  by  the  turn  of  the  wheel,  to  serve  in  office  than 
it  is  to  send  them  by  the  same  token  to  die  on  the 
battlefield? 

If  birth  or  creed  or  standing  is  to  be  part  of  a 


382  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

person's  qualification  to  office  let  it  be  frankly  stated 
so  that  none  should  waste  time  in  chasing  a  will-o'- 
the-wisp. 

Ancient  Jewry  (Leviticus  XXI.  18)  excluded  the 
flat-nosed  fellow  from  office.  Now  we  may  exclude  the 
hook-nosed  fellows,  the  dark  skin  or  the  female  sex, 
but  such  discrimination  cannot  long  stand  in  the 
balance  of  either  time  or  justice. 

Let  the  principle  of  equal  opportunity  work  for 
others  as  well  and  as  thoroughly  as  for  self  and  we 
cannot  fail  to  reap  the  social  reward  for  which  all 
good  men  at  all  times  and  in  all  climes  have  longed 
and  worked  for. 

In  the  course  of  years  it  will  come  to  pass  that  the 
factory  sweeper  has  the  capabilities  of  a  superin- 
tendent in  tlie  same  place,  the  difference  between 
them  being  only  a  matter  of  chance — a  fair,  equal 
chance  having  decided  their  respective  places.  And 
the  traffic  man  on  the  corner  may  be  equal  in  tal- 
ent and  esteem  to  the  governor  of  the  state,  only 
chance  placing  one  above  the  other,  for  the  time 
being.     Later  on  chance  may  reverse  the  relation. 

So,  those  in  authority  one  day  could  not  know 
who  would  have  the  upper  say  on  the  morrow.  This 
would  make  considerateness  a  necessity  as  much  as  it 
is  a  virtue.  For  foolish  conceit  there  would  be  no 
room,  for  jealousy  no  cause  and  for  disaffection  no 
reason. 

So  will  labor  come  to  its  own,  so  will  Democracy 
be  glorified. 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  383 


INDIVIDUAL  ACTION   FOR   CO-OPERATIVE  SUCCESS 

People  organized  into  a  state,  even  at  its  lowest 
standard  of  service,  can  do  and  in  fact  accomplish 
wonders  for  the  individual.  Some  persons  expect 
the  "government"  to  work  in  fairy  fashion,  antici- 
pating needs  and  satisfying  wishes  without  any 
effort  on  their  part  other  than  this  dreamy  expecta- 
tion. On  the  other  extreme  are  men  and  women  who 
expect  angehc  shapes  to  come  forth  from  govern- 
mental moulds  of  injustice,  exploitation,  squalor  and 
body-wrecking  misery. 

In  truth,  not  a  few  but  many  souls  have  risen 
superior  to  circumstances  throughout  the  ages  past. 
Most  of  the  characters  honored  or  idolized  by  man- 
kind are  of  that  class.  Still  they  were  the  exceptions 
and  exceptions  prove  the  rule. 

The  fact  is  that  human  welfare  calls  for  both  the 
individual  and  the  collective  effort.  In  neither  case 
should  people  be  put  off  guard  by  the  shallow  phrase 
that  "right  makes  might."  Right  no  more  makes 
might  than  might  makes  right.  Both  are  (in  the 
social  realm),  transmissions  of  force  emanating  from 
human  beings.  So  the  great  problem,  which  con- 
fronts every  person  desiring  intelligently  to  cast  the 
vote  of  his  or  her  personality  for  the  benefit  and 
the  advancement  of  mankind,  is  the  problem  of  what 
to  uphold  and  what  to  oppose;  in  other  words,  the 
old  question  stares  into  each  new  conscience:  what 
is  right  and  what  is  wrong? 

Conscience!      The    new,    the    social    conscience! 


384  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

There  is  the  writing  of  a  great  book  in  showing  the 
full  psychology  of  it.  Beautiful,  helpful,  restful  it 
is,  but  for  most  of  us  not  easy  to  attain. 

We  must  reduce  our  own  importance  to  rightful 
proportions  in  the  community  and  at  the  same  time 
raise  our  standard  of  responsibility  to  dutiful 
heights  in  all  the  tangled  relations  of  the  world. 

We  must  re-examine  dreams,  doctrines,  philoso- 
phies ;  from  the  misty  haze  of  historical  dawn, 
through  the  contentions  of  minds  and  interests,  down 
to  the  "science"  which  can  see  neither  evil  nor  suf- 
fering on  Earth  or  would  right  wrongs  by  lavishing 
on  them  the  more  respectable  name:  error. 

Little  wonder  that  men  arrive  at  different  ethical 
conclusions  and  the  most  one  can  do  is  to  offer  liis 
own  to  the  rest  of  the  world  for  the  help  it  may  give 
in  shaping  individual  life  so  it  will  dovetail  with 
social  requirements  to  the  detriment  of  none  and  the 
benefit  of  all. 

Expressed  in  a  heart-to-heart  fashion  the  writer's 
conclusions  follow: 

1.  Contemplate  the  universe  to  suit  your  fancy, 
but  be  loyal  to  the  globe  you  live  on. 

2.  Ideals  need  not  be  discounted  because  their 
realization  falls  beyond  an  individual  lifetime.  Con- 
sider how  much  you  have  profited  by  the  efforts  of 
minds  and  hands  that  wrought  ages  ago  and  how 
much  you  have  suffered  through  actions  committed 
and  conditions  produced  long  before  you  were  bom. 
Then,  you  can  never  do  too  much  for  the  generations 
in  the  womb  of  future  years. 

3.  Cultivate  the  sense  of  proportion  to  love  things 
in  due  order.     Inasmuch  as  in  the  manifestation  of 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  385 

the  universe  understanding  stands  highest  and  in 
understanding  mankind  is  foremost,  endeavor  to  love 
mankind  above  all ;  serve  in  a  manner  that  will  benefit 
mankind,  advance  that  which  in  turn  will  work  for 
the  advancement  of  mankind,  unite  with  that  which 
unites  mankind,  praise  that  which  glorifies  mankind. 

4.  Acquire  the  gift  of  a  mental  Esperanto  to 
translate  for  yourself  and  as  far  as  possible  for 
others  the  meaning  of  speech  into  the  substance  of 
conceptions.  Try  and  you  will  find  religions  and 
philosophies  as  translatable  as  languages  are.  Each 
language  has  its  poets  and  artists  and  each  is  shame- 
fully garroted  and  abused  by  many  of  those  who 
use  it.  Religions  and  philosophies  share  the  same 
fate.  The  world  may  yet  agree  on  one  language  and 
one  philosophy.  If  you  desire  such  a  consumma- 
tion, work  and  wait  for  it.  Meanwhile,  understand- 
ing a  number  of  languages  will  broaden  for  you  the 
circle  of  lovable  characters,  and  a  good  hold  on  the 
study  of  comparative  religion  will  do  yet  more  along 
that  line. 

5.  Waste  no  breath  disputing  about  priority  of 
ideas.  For  every  accomplishment  coupled  to  a  name 
countless  minds  have  striven;  and  for  every  great 
achievement  many,  many  unknown  thousands  have 
suffered  as  much,  perhaps  even  more,  than  the 
martyrs  celebrated  on  that  account. 

6.  The  power  of  thought  guarantees  the  right  to 
reason  and  imposes  the  duty  to  be  guided  thereby. 
Intelligent  guidance  will  lead  on  the  loftiest  plane, 
where  the  purest  motives  serve  as  strongest  support. 
To  arrive  there,  both  the  individual  and  the  social 
conscience  must  be  developed,   a   common   attribute 


086  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

of  which  calls  for  living  3^our  principles  to  the  last 
inch  of  possibility.  Blood  of  martyrs  to  accelerate 
movements  for  the  right  should  no  more  be  required. 
Still  it  is  better  to  be  imprisoned  or  to  die  for  what 
you  think  is  right  than  to  pour  hemlock  in  your 
soul  or  be  killed  for  what  you  think  is  wrong.  Only, 
husband  life  as  you  would  other  resources. 

7.  Remember  that  the  shortest  creek  may  quench 
physical  thirst  and  the  narrowest  creed  satisfy 
spiritual  cravings,  but  the  broad  rivers  of  all  phi- 
losophies converge  into  the  connected  oceans  of 
thought,  to  navigate  which  safely  and  usefully  is  the 
grandest  as  well  as  the  commonest  privilege  of  all 
matured  individuals. 

8.  To  prove  ideas  right  or  wrong,  measure  them 
by  the  basic  conceptions  of  (a)  political  liberty; 
(b)  economic  equality;  (c)  international  fraterni- 
ty; (d)  social  harmony;  (e)  mental  independence; 
(f)  moral  justice  and  (g)  humane  attitude.  Be  not 
afraid  of  "economic  equality"  even  though  you  are 
rich  and  powerful.  Many  a  czar  owning  millions 
of  soldiers  and  billions  of  dollars  found  himself  in 
a  plight  such  that  giving  all  in  exchange  for  "equal- 
ity" would  have  been  a  magnificent  bargain.  The 
problem  is  only  how  all  should  rise  equally  prosperous 
and  not  sink  equally  into  the  mire  of  squalor  and 
misery.  Nor  need  you  be  afraid  of  "moral  justice" 
for  such  a  state  is  far  more  convenient  than  allow- 
ing a  turn  of  the  balance  and  so  suffering  the  iniqui- 
ties that  had  been  inflicted. 

9.  Recognize  the  value  of  productive  occupation. 
As  all  art  is  work,  so  all  work  is  art.  None  is  vain 
or  wasted.     It  all  goes  into  the  coral  reefs,  the  sum 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  387 

total  of  human  civilization.  The  problem  ever  was 
and  still  is  to  devise  a  balance  scale  that  shall  weigh 
righteously  the  efforts  cast  in  for  exchange.  Amidst 
the  confusion  of  needs  and  frills,  comfort  and  vanity, 
prudence  and  pride,  perhaps  it  is  wisest  to  strive 
for  a  standard  of  living  that  given  conditions  make 
possible  for  all. 

10.  Employ  your  energy  to  make  yourself  agree- 
able to  the  world's  requirement,  also  the  world  to 
yours.  In  connection  with  this,  remember  that 
love  without  its  tenders  is  like  faith  without  works, 
and  brotherhood  with  a  Chinese  wall  around  it  is  a 
delusion.  Also,  political  rights  by  sexual  qualifica- 
tion is  absurd,  preposterously  so ;  and  depriving 
children  of  education  or  the  opportunity  of  educa- 
tion is  causing  them  to  go  blindfolded  through  life. 

11.  Respect  a  law  according  to  its  quality,  not 
because  it  is  tradition  or  because  it  happens  to 
be  on  the  statute  book.  Most  laws  are  but  compro- 
mises between  the  best  and  the  worst  in  society. 
Always  a  certain  number  of  people  are  much  better 
than  the  law  requires  them  to  be,  and  a  certain  per- 
centage is  a  great  deal  worse  than  the  law  allows. 
In  between  stands  the  great  mass,  perhaps  nine- 
tenths  of  the  population,  gauging  life  by  the  rules 
drawn  through  legislative  conflicts.  Between  those 
who  condemn  taking  any  interest  on  loans  as  heart- 
less usury  and  those  who  would  extort  without  limi- 
tation, a  "legal  rate"  is  estabhshed  which  molds  the 
mass  of  financial  transactions  and  in  a  measure 
molds  the  thinking  of  the  mass  concerning  right. 
Of  course,  it  is  of  utmost  importance  to  improve  laws. 
This  is  done,  primarily,  by  doing  better  than  a  law 


388  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

calls  for.  Revolutionary  doctrines  are  beneficial 
only  to  the  extent  that  they  dispose  adherents  to 
adopt  better  ethics  than  have  the  powers  rebelled 
against. 

12.  If  you  must  have  something  to  approach  with 
veneration,  let  it  be  Liberty.  Humankind  enthroned 
and  dethroned  many  gods ;  all  had  been  endowed  with 
power,  wisdom  and  virtue,  but  none  conceived  was 
as  generous  as  Liberty.  It  elevates  man  as  high  as 
ever  he  can  reach  on  the  single  condition  of  respon- 
sibility. Remember,  though,  that  an  individual  alone, 
like  a  generation  by  itself,  cannot  be  understood. 
Both  are  subject  to  interrelated  environment  and 
swayed  by  inherited  tendencies  as  well  as  by  the 
potentialities  of  the  future.  But  in  the  light  of  all 
possible  knowledge  most  sacred  are  the  uses  of  lib- 
erty, its  non-use  most  harmful,  and  its  abuse  the 
most  abominable  treachery  to  mankind. 

13.  Formulate  ideals  that,  like  the  sun,  will  shed 
brightness  into  life.  Almost  all  the  gloom  that  en- 
shrouds the  earth  is  caused  by  man  and  may  be  abol- 
ished by  mankind.  If  there  be  sorrows  ineradicable, 
let  them  serve  as  a  frame  of  contrast  for  the  glories 
of  life.  Invest  your  minutes  to  realize  the  profits  of 
centuries  and  bank  your  days  to  earn  interest  into 
the  millennium. 

14.  Death?  Why,  it  is  but  the  final  obligation 
of  life.  To  fear  death  is  worse  than  weakness,  it  is 
dishonesty. 

15.  Guard  above  all  treasures  the  keystone  of  hap- 
piness, which  is  health.  As  all  parts  of  a  healthy 
body  perform  their  natural  functions  without  pain 
or  friction,  so  the  healthy  mind  finds  its  bearings 


SOCIAL    TRANQUILLITY  389 

in  all  relations  of  life,  without  strain  or  suffering. 
Both  may  be  weakened  by  lack  of  proper  care  and 
nourishment.  One  may  lack  the  sense  of  sight,  smell 
or  hearing,  the  other  that  of  considerateness,  grati- 
tude or  verity.  But  the  healthy  body  generates  its 
necessary  powers  plus  more  for  an  emergency,  and 
the  healthy  mind  produces  sufficient  reliance  for  self 
and  to  spare.  The  sum  total  of  all  experience  and 
all  thought  would  have  us  strive  for  individual  and 
social  bodily  and  mental  health. 

Despite  all  difficulties,  social  justice  develops  con- 
tinually, and  despite  all  handicaps  social  tranquillity 
is  coming  nearer  day  by  day.  Let  no  one  sneer  at 
the  hope;  though  the  star  of  civilization  is  eclipsed 
for  a  time  by  the  death-sun  of  Mars,  yet  we  have 
not  sunk  as  low  as  where  we  started  from,  and  as 
the  earth  never  came  to  a  standstill,  now,  too,  we 
may  exclaim:  Eptir  si  move! 


PART    NINE 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Newspaper  Articles  * 


*The  first  six  of  these  articles  were  printed  in  the  Bridge- 
port  Evening   Star-Herald. 


MISCELLANEOUS 

RECOGNITION    FOR    NATIONALITIES 

From  time  to  time,  especially  near  election  time, 
stirrings  are  noticeable  in  divers  nationalities  (mean- 
ing those  who  claim  to  represent  them)  for  recog- 
nition. 

The  shape  in  which  recognition  is  desired  is  public 
office.  But  giving  such  recognition  to  one  group 
necessarily  excludes  the  others.  Clearly  enough, 
favoritism  and  discrimination  are  twin  principles; 
courting  the  one  invites  the  other.  And,  what  is 
worse,  while  satisfaction  gained  by  an  office-seeker, 
through  favor,  is  small  and  soon  past,  the  sores 
caused  by  the  sting  of  discrimination  are  cancerous 
and  spreading. 

He  must  be  in  darkness,  most  dense,  to  whom  so 
little  light  is  worth  so  much  candle. 

If  place  of  birth  or  derivation  is  a  factor  in  fit- 
ness for  office,  surely  one  of  closest  affiliation  to  a 
given  locality  is  best  qualified ;  and  the  farther  back 
a  person's  genealogical  roots  can  be  traced  in  local 
soil  and  prevailing  laws,  •  the  more  capable,  trust- 
worthy and  successful  he  or  she  is  apt  to  prove  in 
office. 

But  if  accident  of  birth  is  no  valid  criterion  to 
choose  anything  by,  from  a  rail  polisher  to  a  law- 
grinder,  how  in  the  name  of  common  sense  can  any 
fair-minded  person  seek,  offer  or  even  accept  prefer- 
ment on  grounds  of  nativity? 

Suppose,  however,  that  distribution  of  offices  ac- 
393 


394  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

cording  to  the  different  nationalities  in  a  community 
were  feasible  and  proper,  why  expect  that  the  prefer- 
ment of  one  in  a  group  will  make  all  the  rest  happy 
and  satisfied? 

Did  the  town  clerk's  office,  given  for  a  long  time 
to  a  German  because  of  his  being  a  German,  help 
the  rest  of  the  Germans  any?  Would  the  social 
status  of  garbage  collectors,  unskilled  hands  and  road 
building  laborers  rise  in  public  esteem  if  a  Slovak, 
a  Hungarian  and  an  Italian  were  placed  in  offices 
which  secured  to  the  incumbents  thereof  ease  and 
honor? 

Furthermore,  as  vicarious  punishment  is  cruelty, 
so  vicarious  honor  is  unjust  and  no  honor  at  all. 

But  efforts  spent  by  one  group  in  return  for  bene- 
fits derived  from  work  performed  by  the  other  is 
sufficient  recognition  for  all  practical  purposes,  and 
this  takes  place  constantly  as  a  matter  of  daily 
routine. 

If  there  are  some  who  really  crave  recognition  of 
a  more  showy  kind  for  their  several  kinships,  they 
all  could  be  satisfied  in  this  manner: 

Let  the  City  Council  or  the  Mayor  name  a  Mutual 
Recognition  Day. 

On  this  day  let  all  who  want  recognition  march 
in  parade  and  be  saluted  in  behalf  of  the  city  by 
the  Mayor  and  Aldermen. 

If  the  recipients  of  the  honor  will  be  kind  enough 
to  pass  it  on  to  everybody  they  meet  there  shall  be 
a  lack  of  recognition  never  more. 

But  certain  propensities,  nourished  under  this 
heading  by  conscienceless  or  shortsighted  politicians, 
were  best  left  to  atrophy — why  not? 


MISCELLANEOUS  395 


CONCERNING    AMERICANIZATION 

Congress  having  appropriated  'steen  millions  of 
dollars  for  Americanization  work,  discussion  is  in 
order  to  learn  what  it  is  and  what  it  is  not.  So, 
here  goes  one  opinion. 

A  waving  of  the  flag  is  not  always  prompted  by 
pure  intention  to  serve  the  country.  Sometimes  it 
is  done  as  a  finale  to  a  poor  theatrical  performance 
for  the  sake  of  a  little  forced  applause. 

Loud  confessions  of  American  loyalty  and  service, 
proclaimed  from  the  housetops  of  different  large  or- 
ganizations, may  not  be  gold  without  alloy.  Often 
such  claims  are  set  forth  with  an  eye  on  Mexico, 
Zion,  Slovakia  or  other  particular  points  on  the 
globe.  And  it  may  be  held,  alongside  highest  regard 
for  motives  here  in  play,  that  where  a  man's  hope 
is  there  is  his  heart  also. 

Possession  of  American  wealth  also  fails  to  give 
positive  American  standing.  Witness,  statistics  on 
foreign  ownership  of  American  lands  and  reports  by 
the  custodian  of  alien  properties. 

Neither  does  the  ability  to  speak  English  make 
one  an  American.  A  goodly  part  of  the  British 
Empire  speaks  English  without  having  more  than 
compulsory  respect  for  the  United  States  of  America. 

Nor  can  unquestioning  devotion  to  set  institutions 
guarantee  the  much  advertised  "one  hundred  per  cent. 
American"  quality.  Institutions  change.  They  are 
different  now  than  they  were  in  the  days  of  chattel 
slavery  and  whiskey  domination.  And  it  is  reason- 
able to  assume  that  other  changes  will  take  place. 


396  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Not  even  American  birth  constitutes  one  an  Amer- 
ican always.  Lord  Beaver  and  Countess  or  ex-Coun- 
tess Szechenyi  were  bom  here,  but  that  does  not,  in 
the  least,  alter  their  allegiance  to  foreign  potentates 
or  Soviet  governments,  as  the  case  may  be. 

The  real  unfailing  test  of  American  preference  is 
simply  to  regard  America  (and  for  dwellers  in  the 
U.  S.  this  part  of  America)  as  a  home  in  the  best, 
truest  and  fullest  sense  of  that  exalted  word. 

A  demonstration  of  this  formula  in  all  its  bear- 
ings would  fill  a  large  size  volume,  but  the  summary 
of  the  whole  book  might  be  compressed  into  these 
few  sentences : 

Industrial  functioning  compels  permanent  habita- 
tion and  habitation  requires  care  of  one's  habitat. 

If  you  would  Americanize  yourself,  feel  at  home 
in  this  country;  appreciate  the  foundation  of  your 
shelter,  also  its  possibilities;  and  never  tire  in  the 
effort  to  make  it  a  place  of  solid  comfort,  mutual 
consideration  and  soul-satisfying  beauty. 

If  you  would  Americanize  others,  allow  them,  help 
them  to  feel  and  act  likewise. 

VOTES  FOR  WOMEN— HOW  TO  OBTAIN 
THEM 

You,  dear  ladies,  who  advocate  the  enfranchise- 
ment of  women,  spend  much  fine  oratory  in  argu- 
ment with  certain  obstinate  legislators  to  convince 
them  of  the  fairness  of  your  request.  Evidently, 
you  believe  that  an  appeal  to  the  sense  of  justice 
will  carry  your  point  where  the  light  of  reason  fails 
to  penetrate. 


MISCELLANEOUS  397 

But  how  about  their  sense  of  justice? 

An  ancient  philosopher,  when  rebuked  because  he 
prostrated  himself  before  the  King  in  supplication 
for  this  or  that,  answered :  "Well,  is  it  my  fault  that 
the  ears  of  the  King  are  in  his  feet?" 

With  the  anti-suffrage  law-maker  the  sense  of  jus- 
tice is  neither  in  his  head  nor  in  his  heart  nor  yet 
in  his  lower  extremities. 

If  the  sense  of  justice  resided  in  his  head  you, 
of  course,  would  have  convinced  him  long  ago ;  if  it 
lodged  in  his  heart,  he  would  wither  from  the  shame 
his  position  reflects  upon  his  own  household;  and, 
if  it  were  in  his  feet,  he  would  be  halted  by  cramps 
before  entering  a  legislative  hall  to  trample  upon  so 
simple,  inexpensive,  non-revolutionary  a  principle  of 
government  as  voting  is  to-day. 

Where,  then,  is  the  sense  of  justice  in  legislators 
opposed  to  woman  suffrage?  Why,  in  the  first  place, 
it  is  of  microscopic  dimensions  and,  in  the  second 
place,  it  is  buried  in  their  love  to  drive  a  bargain. 

Some  lawyers  will  sue  a  company  for  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  when  they  expect  to  collect  five  hundred 
and  the  other  side  would  settle  by  paying  fifty  dollars 
if  the  claimant  can  be  tired  into  accepting  it.  The 
object  of  litigation  becomes  a  matter  of  "winning  a 
case"  and  not  of  having  justice  prevail. 

Your  anti-suffrage  legislator's  mentality  is  of  this 
texture.  Because  you  ask  for  the  minimum  of  fair- 
ness he  accords  you  a  maximum  of  indifference  or 
contempt. 

If  you  would  make  an  impression  on  his  kind  of 
soul,  ask  for  all  that  is  due  you  and  more — if 
possible. 


398  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Organize  a  movement  having  for  its  platform 
planks  as  follows : 

1.  Disfranchisement  of  the  male  sex  for  the  same 
length  of  time  that  women  suifered  political  subju- 
gation. 

2.  Obliteration  of  all  man-made  laws  and  replace- 
ment of  them  with  others  conceived,  deliberated  upon 
and  enacted  exclusively  by  women. 

3.  Immediate  and  summary  discharge  of  all  male 
office-holders  and  their  banishment  to  the  lowest 
depths  of  factory  labor  and  other  usefully  produc- 
tive employments  of  still  lower  grade. 

Ask  the  Earth,  the  Moon  and  the  nearby  stars, 
in  the  manner  of  Carrie  Nation — anything  less  spec- 
tacular is  unnoticeable  or  of  no  importance  to  So- 
lons  of  that  sort — and  they  will  begin  to  consider 
how  to  cut  down  on  your  demands. 

Insist  with  all  your  might  on  going  the  full  length 
of  your  way  and  then  your  anachronistic  legislator 
will  be  tickled  to  grant  women  the  right  to  vote. 
He  will  feel  that  by  granting  that  right  he  concili- 
ates you  with  a  pittance  and  his  sense  of  justice  will 
be  satisfied  in  the  knowledge  that  he  drove  a  good 
bargain. 

TAKING    THE    TERROR    OUT    OF 
REVOLUTION 

The  prohibition  amendment  to  the  Constitution 
affects,  in  a  sudden  manner,  the  ingrained  habits  of 
millions  and  the  very  livelihood  of  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands. Such  a  change  brought  about  by  means  of 
bloodshed-  wholesale  iailinp-s  and  the  forcible  election 


MISCELLANEOUS  399 

of  administrative  authorities,  would  surely  be  classed 
a  revolution. 

Of  yet  greater  importance  and  fraught  with  much 
farther  reaching  consequences  is  the  other  amend- 
ment which,  despite  the  ungracious  tardiness  of  the 
Connecticut  legislature  regarding  it,  is  on  the  thresh- 
old of  being  incorporated  into  our  body  politic. 

In  the  annals  of  history,  many  revolutions  are 
recorded  showing  smaller  results  than  is  the  enfran- 
chisement of  one-half  of  over  100,000,000  people. 

Of  course,  each  change  makes  the  succeeding  in- 
novation less  feared  and  sooner  discounted.  As  one 
may  become  accustomed  to  keeping  within  the  rut, 
so  one  may  habitually  get  out  of  it.  Amendments 
to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  well  show 
its  course. 

It  may  come  to  pass  that  when  a  number  of  citi- 
zens— women  included — propound  a  really  better 
state  of  affairs,  though  it  be  labeled  revolution,  the 
country  will  hop  right  into  it. 

IS  COMPETITION  THE  LIFE  OF  TRADE? 

Competition  in  industry  may  not  have  outlived  its 
usefulness,  but  the  good  flowing  therefrom  is  cer- 
tainly very  much  exaggerated.  Some  go  so  far  as 
to  say:  "Competition  is  the  life  of  trade,  without  it 
business  would  die  of  dry  rot."     But  would  it? 

A  moment's  reflection  will  show  that  trade  is  the 
result  of  general  human  needs,  not  of  individual 
rivalries  into  which  most  of  competition  degener- 
ates. 

We  know,  of  course,  that  manv  institutions,  ad- 


400  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

ministered  by  nation,  state,  and  municipalitjj  give 
a  great  variety  of  services  without  as  much  as  a 
thought  of  competition. 

The  large  industrial  concerns,  where  competition 
has  ceased,  prosper  most.  These  concerns  enlisted 
the  cooperation  of  investors  and  prospered  thereby; 
of  late  they  also  invite  the  cooperation  of  employes 
with  a  result  detrimental  to  none  and  beneficial  to 
all.  And  just  in  proportion  that  cooperation  is 
earnestly  sought  will  it  repay  in  abundance. 

Really,  nobody  engages  in  competition  for  bread 
and  butter  because  he  wants  to,  but  only  because 
he  has  to.  Just  so  soon  as  possible  competition  is 
stalled  by  whoever  can  do  it;  and,  of  course,  income 
from  monopolies — be  it  ever  so  large — no  one  dis- 
dains. 

In  certain  businesses  coordination  and  cooperation 
may  not  yet  be  practicable,  but  that  is  poor  con- 
solation for  most  of  those  who  earn  their  living  in 
such  businesses. 

At  best,  competition  rewards  only  those  who  find 
joy  in  satisfying  the  cravings  of  their  own  combat- 
iveness.  Others,  though  successful,  cannot  escape 
from  hearing  the  "Song  of  the  Shirt;"  they  ever 
must  see  the  picture  of  the  "Man  with  the  Hoe"  and 
never  can  forget  the  fate  of  all — men,  women  and 
children — who  go  under  in  the  fray. 

Consider  the  inefficiency  of  scattered  forces  spite- 
fully employed  in  producing  and  distributing  life's 
necessities ;  consider,  also,  the  gigantic  social  waste 
involved  in  duplication  of  plants  and  storehouses, 
etc. ;  furthermore,  consider  the  brains  and  energy 
spent  not  in  getting  trade,  but  in  getting  it  away 


MISCELLANEOUS  401 

from  others,  and  the  glories  of  competition  fade  into 
a  rather  gloomy  horizon. 

School  children  study  in  competition  to  win  prizes, 
but  grown-up  people  study  for  the  knowledge  to  be 
gained.  So,  in  business,  competition  to  a  certain 
point  promotes  development;  after  that — when  ef- 
fort is  spent  to  destroy  effort — competition  ceases 
to  be  beneficial  and  must  be  replaced  with  an  incen- 
tive as  high  above  the  motives  of  rivalry  as  the 
scholar's  is  above  that  of  the  child. 

With  full  and  generous  consideration  for  those 
who  built  up  the  business,  and  with  ample  provisions 
to  retain  the  services  of  those  who  can  successfully 
manage  it,  many  establishments  are  being  transferred 
and  many  more  could  be  transferred  from  the  basis 
of  competition  to  the  plane  of  cooperation. 

Admitting  that  such  change  is  easier  stated  and 
praised  theoretically  than  brought  about  in  practice, 
the  truth  remains  that  when  competition  ceases  to 
be  a  buoy  and  becomes  a  drag,  trade  need  not,  nor 
can  it  die  of  "dry  rot,"  but  may  and  must  go  on  in 
response  to  human  want. 

REFERENDUM    ON    LEAGUE    COVENANT 

Between  responsibility  for  national  attitude  that 
goes  or  is  supposed  to  go  with  citizenship  and  the 
actual  non-influence  of  the  citizen  (outside  Con- 
gress) in  determining  the  attitude,  there  is  a  gap 
which  should  be  spanned  in  a  thorough  fashion,  and 
the  sooner  this  were  accomplished  the  better  for  all 
concerned. 

In    that    gap    all    sorts    of    dissatisfaction    and 


402  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

disaffection  find  lodgings  and  a  responsive  nursery 
ground.  In  it  are  generated  imps  of  social  unrest, 
from  the  scarcely  audible  sigh  of  helpless  impotency 
to  the  disturbingly  noisome  activities  of  revolution- 
ary wrath.  And  the  gap  itself  is  sufficient  justifi- 
cation for  whatever  comes  therefrom. 

Indeed,  if  a  people  of  many  millions  must  stand 
responsible  for  peace  or  war,  by  what  method  of 
reasoning  can  it  be  counted  fair  to  reach  a  decision, 
regarding  the  course  to  be  taken,  by  the  feelings,  will 
and  understanding  of  one  or  five  hundred? 

Now  that  a  proposed  covenant  of  the  League  of 
Nations  calls  for  endorsement  or  rejection.  Congress 
has  an  opportunity  to  bridge  that  gap  by  transfer- 
ring the  fact  of  responsibility  to  its  theoretical  abid- 
ing place.  Furthermore,  the  polling  of  a  national 
referendum  on  the  subject-matter  of  the  League 
covenant  would  go  a  long  way  to  secure  satisfaction 
with  the  stand  taken  as  a  result,  whatever  that  may 
turn  out  to  be. 

If  the  people  can  have  no  say  in  the  matter,  why 
submit  it  to  public  discussion  at  all?  True,  such 
discussion  may  help  Congress  to  make  up  its  mind 
one  way  or  another,  but  the  fateful  decision  so  ar- 
rived at  cannot  amount  to  more,  after  all,  than  the 
crystallized  interest,  sentiments  and  understanding 
of  a  few. 

And  if  that  be  proper,  why  pretend  that  national 
attitude  here  is   national   choice? 

The  proposed  covenant  may  be  good  or  bad,  any 
League  of  Nations  may  be  better  than  none,  or  no 
attempt  in  that  direction  may  be  better  than  any; 
still,  the  question  remains:  Who  shall  sav  which? 


MISCELLANEOUS  403 

Or  is  self-government  applicable  only  when  it 
comes  to  the  erection  of  a  poorhouse  or  the  like? 

Are  not  the  men  good  enough  to  be  heroes,  and 
the  masses  they  were  accepted  or  drafted  from,  also 
good  enough  to  have  a  direct  voice  in  settling  the 
fate  of  the  proposed  covenant? 

This  much  is  certain :  A  decision  reached  by  means 
of  a  national  referendum  would  carry  a  sanction  as 
much  above  the  say-so  of  Congress  as  a  verdict  by 
this  body  is  above  the  fiat  of  a  monarch. 


PROHIBITION— BY  WHOM? 

If,  as  suggested  in  Maeterlinck's  "Blue  Bird," 
things  remembered  are  revivified;  John  Barley- 
corn, together  with  his  close  relatives,  Haveanother 
Foamy  Fluid  and  Avant  Sante  Sparclegrape,  is  in- 
deed alive.  So  much  so  that  had  they  been  really 
buried,  their  official  resurrection  might  be  hourly 
expected. 

As  matters  now  stand  rum  is  not  abolished,  but 
only  retired  into  a  sort  of  semi-banishment.  Friends 
of  the  old  order  demand  a  speedy  reinstatement  of 
ante-bellum  days  when  "getting  under  the  weather" 
was  no  disgrace  and  getting  others  there  was  glory. 
They  have  few  arguments  which  the  sad  records  of 
victims  amongst  them  does  not  set  at  naught,  but 
even  a  single  solitary  righteous  claim  should  be 
sufficient  to  cause  serious  consideration  on  the  part 
of  all  believers  in  fair  play. 

Such  a  claim  the  upholders  of  personal  liberty 
pertaining  to   the  use   of  alcoholic   beverages  have 


404  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

in  the  fact  that  the  new  law  does  not  reallj^  and 
unquestionably  reflect  the  will  of  the  people. 

Numerous  spokesmen  for  a  large  constituency 
claim  that  prohibition  was  brought  about  by  ecclesi- 
astical machinations  and  self-serving  political  trick- 
ery engineered  for  the  benefit  of  divers  commercial 
soft  drink  interests.  Not  having  had  the  question 
submitted  to  a  national  plebiscite,  who  can  positively 
gainsay  their  accusations  .^^ 

To  be  sure,  the  law  is  on  the  side  of  the  prohibi- 
tionist, but  that  is  not  enough  to  make  prohibition 
acceptable  or  accepted.  Why,  the  history  of  the 
prohibition  movement  itself  furnishes  a  most  im- 
pressive lesson  not  to  impose  unjust  measures  on 
anyone,  though  such  action  may  be  legal  at  the 
time. 

The  flood  of  prohibition  which  inundates  the 
country  now  had  for  its  original  spring  a  mere  in- 
discretion on  the  part  of  a  single  saloon-keeper. 

This  dispenser  of  intoxicants  was  requested  by  a 
man,  Neal  Dow,  not  to  sell  liquor  to  his  friend  who, 
though  a  fine  fellow  and  holding  a  responsible  posi- 
tion, could  not  control  the  appetite  for  strong  drink. 
Maybe  this  was  the  only  shortcoming  of  an  excel- 
lent man  and  Neal  Dow  set  out,  as  a  good  man  will, 
to  rescue  his  friend  from  the  jaws  of  a  destructive 
inclination. 

Neal  Dow  pleaded  with  all  the  eloquence  he  could 
muster  for  his  friend,  but  the  saloon-keeper,  instead 
of  heeding  so  fair  a  request,  stood  on  his  rights 
under  the  license  that  hung  neatly  framed  upon  the 
wall.  Pointing  to  the  document,  the  saloon-keeper 
declared  that  he  was  in  business,  not  to  take  care  of 


MISCELLANEOUS  405 

everybody  in  town,  but  to  make  money,  and  boasted 
that  the  state  sanctioned  such  a  course. 

One  can  imagine  the  effect  of  this  experience  on 
Neal  Dow.  He  went  on  an  errand  to  obviate  injury 
and  all  he  got  was  a  double  insult — an  insult  as  an 
individual  and  also  as  a  part  of  the  state. 

At  present  many  people  feel  insulted  by  the  work- 
ings of  a  law  which  questions  their  ableness  to  use 
with  reason  a  commodity  that  countless  biUions  have 
used  before  without  any  interference  whatsoever. 

Such  feehng  does  not  pass  through  the  mind  with- 
out the  brain's  taking  cognizance  and  retaining  an 
impression — an  impression  which,  perhaps,  can  be 
best  perceived  by  recognizing  how  Neal  Dow's  mind 
was  affected  in  its  time. 

As  detectives,  in  the  effort  to  find  a  culprit,  "re- 
construct" the  movements  of  a  criminal,  so,  in  the 
attempt  to  handle  properly  the  problem  under  con- 
sideration, one  may  retrace  the  psychic  process  of 
an  upright,  virtuous  mind. 

On  being  turned  down,  Neal  Dow  must  have  swal- 
lowed hard.  What  could  be  done  against  a  merciless 
saloon-keeper  supported  as  he  was  by  all  the  powers 
of  the  state? 

Neal  Dow  left  the  rum  shop  beaten,  bitter  gall- 
drops  flowing  to  his  heart.  Probably,  man's  primal 
instincts  came  to  the  fore. 

Perhaps  he  clenched  his  fists  in  wrath  and  turned 
back  to  knock  the  scoundrel  down,  but  even  with 
the  first  thought  of  homicide  came  the  realization 
that  such  a  course  could  not  have  a  desirable  ending. 
There  was  much  to  lose  and  nothing  to  gain.  The 
saloon  would  have  survived,  maybe  in  charge  of  some- 


406  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

one  ten  times  worse  than  the  heartless  creature  then 
in  charge.  Yet  there  was  his  friend,  a  precious  soul, 
an  excellent  fellow,  at  stake.  Could  it  be  that  the 
state  knowingly,  deliberately  set  out  to  destroy  such 
men  and  their  families  for  the  sake  of  financial  rev- 
enue.? Who  was  the  state.?  Of  course,  Neal  Dow 
was  part  of  it.  And  should  he  take  upon  himself 
and  carry  into  his  grave  the  blame  for  proceedings 
which  he  abhorred.?  No!  The  duty  of  a  man  lay 
in  the  opposite  direction.  Oh,  but  the  odds  he  was 
up  against! 

Neal  Dow  must  have  counted  all  powerful  selfish 
interests  depending  for  their  riches  on  the  running 
of  rum  shops.  At  this  he  may  have  been  appalled 
for  a  while ;  but  the  thought  of  his  friend,  reinforced 
with  the  idea  that  many  others  were  in  the  same  pre- 
dicament, dispelled  all  fear  and  timidity. 

Then  Reason  came,  the  wonderful  councillor  with 
a  scale  weighing  one  thing  against  another,  and  there 
was  cast  into  the  balance  this  question:  What  about 
your  many  friends  who  enjoy  a  stimulant  without 
harming  either  themselves  or  anybody  else  by  using 
it.?  They  are  fine,  jovial  fellows,  hale  and  hearty; 
some  past  the  allotted  three-score  and  ten,  and  some 
with  records  as  good,  as  clean  as  ever  angel  entered 
into  the  books  of  fate — shall  all  these  men  be  de- 
prived of  the  friendly  cup  that  cheers.? 

One  who,  in  behalf  of  a  friend  determined  to  fight 
an  age-old  institution,  could  not  overlook  the  rights 
of  other  friends.  Neal  Dow's  brain  went  aft  in  a 
whirl.  A  veritable  tempest  of  pros  and  cons  flew 
crisscross  through  his  mind.  Stronger  and  stronger 
the    tempest    grew,    driving   heavy    tears    down    the 


MISCELLANEOUS  407 

cheeks  of  the  man  so  agitated:  tears,  as  are  pressed 
from  a  soul  when  about  to  strike  out  upon  an  en- 
tirely new  path  of  its  own  making. 

After  a  while  the  storm  calmed  down.  In  the  mind 
of  Neal  Dow  there  shone  a  bright  and  steady  light. 
The  balance  scale  of  reasoning  tilted  all  one  way  and 
the  final  nugget  that  outweighed  every  other  consid- 
eration said: 

Better  a  hundred  good  men  forego  some  little 
pleasure  than  that  any  one  of  them  shall  be  ruined 
and  his  family  wrecked.  If  saving  this  one  causes 
inconvenience  to  a  few,  perhaps  it  is  their  own  fault. 
No  one  should  hinder  the  work  of  justice  and  mercy! 

Who  can  blame  Neal  Dow  for  the  stand  he  had 
taken  ? 

But  the  other  side  also  must  be  heard. 

Of  course,  the  struggle  for  prohibition  went  the 
way  of  all  issues  embracing  the  nation.  Saloon-keep- 
ers who  were  most  scrupulously  careful  in  conducting 
their  business  fared  no  better  than  the  worst  of  the 
guild.  Here,  too,  the  innocent  had  to  suffer  for  the 
guilty.  Now,  the  culmination  of  the  movement  in- 
augurated by  Neal  Dow  put  the  possessors  of  self- 
control  altogether  in  a  class  with  those  who  have  no 
such  thing  in  their  make-up. 

Prohibition  is  felt  as  a  slight  by  some,  by  others 
an  undue  interference,  akin  to  insult.  They  reason 
thus :  ] 

The  law  should  protect  those  who  need  protection, 
but  it  must  not  make  the  strong  a  scapegoat  for  the 
weak.  Users  of  intoxicants  might  have  to  be  li- 
censed as  were  the  dispensers  of  the  stuff.  Temper- 
ance might  be  inhibited  somewhat  by  methods  used 


408  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

in  Dayton's  beautiful  Old  Soldiers'  Home,  where  a 
man  was  entitled  to  so  much  and  no  more.  The 
profit  might  be  taken  out  of  the  whole  business  (so 
most  of  its  venom  would  be  lost),  and  stimulants 
sold  through  agencies  controlled  by  nation,  state  and 
municipality.  A  hundred  other  ways  might  be  found 
to  prevent  the  evil  of  the  traffic  without  stopping  the 
good  of  it,  but  this  blanket  prohibition  of  everything 
that  has  a  stimulating  smell  in  it  cannot  be  an  act 
of  either  justice  or  wisdom. 

To  put  a  glass  of  honest  wine  on  a  par  with  the 
wickedest  of  "dead-house"  whiskey,  is  not  sensible, 
and  it  cannot  be  fair  to  compel  millions  of  women 
who  were  periodically  helped  by  the  use  of  a  little 
brandy  to  go  without  it — or  go  to  pay  for  a  doctor's 
permission  each  time  they  need  succor.  (Physicians 
may  like  such  dispensation.  Some  of  them  advocate 
that  we  should  not  drink  a  cup  of  tea  or  coifee  with- 
out a  doctor's  consent — which,  of  course,  cannot  be 
expected  gratis.) 

If  inconvenience  for  many  and  added  expense  were 
the  only  disadvantages  entailed  by  the  prohibition 
law,  gradual  adjustments  might  wear  off  dissatisfac- 
tion after  a  while.  But  above  all  complaints  and  all 
criticisms  rings  the  question: 

WHO    DID    THE    PROHIBITING? 

Pointing  to  the  law  and  commanding  to  obey  it 
does  not  answer  the  question.  Doing  that  repeat- 
edly may  increase  resentment  to  a  point  where  it 
turns  into  a  decision  to  wage  war  against  the  new 
law.  There  are  any  number  of  persons  willing  to 
start  the  campaign,  if  it  has  not  already  started, 


MISCELLANEOUS  409 

and  who  can  positively  say  how  matters  may  be  at 
the  finish?  Maybe  all  the  evils  would  be  restored 
and  none  of  the  good,  prohibition  really  aimed  for, 
accomplished. 

"Who  did  the  prohibiting?" 

The  question  is  pertinent  and  should  be  answered 
in  a  manner  that  can  soothe  ruffled  feelings.  If  pro- 
hibition is  really  wanted  by  the  nation,  why  not  have 
the  people's  direct  say  for  it?  Must  Demo  ever  be 
slighted  in  democracy — should  the  head  ever  submit 
to  being  managed  by  the  tail  end  of  the  word? 

It  were  better  to  postpone  prohibition  until  it  has 
the  backing  of  the  majority  of  the  people  beyond 
any  doubt. 

And  Knights  of  Temperance,  prohibitionists,  tee- 
totalers, men  who  never  frequented  saloons  and  never 
expect  to,  should  be  foremost  in  demanding  a  square 
deal  and  a  fair  count,  for  "no  question  is  ever  settled 
until  it  is  settled  right." 

SOCIAL    EQUALITY 

Certain  persons  carry  in  their  heads  an  idea 
the  practical  counterpart  of  which  they  want  to  es- 
tablish "if  it  will  cost  a  million  lives."  "It"  being 
social  equality. 

But  social  equality  depends  on  social  worth,  and 
worth  is  measured  by  the  mental  yardstick  known  as 
esteem,  which  cannot  be  standardized  by  any  pro- 
cedure, least  of  all  by  brutal  force  and  human  sacri- 
fice. 

Somehow,  esteem  is  always  prejudiced  in  favor  of 
self  and  of  everything  in  proportion  as  it  benefits 


410  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

self.  Naturally  so,  for  esteem  is  part  and  parcel  as 
well  as  a  chief  organ  of  the  ego.  Thus  it  comes  that 
self-complacency  and  even  pride  ever  find  reasons  on 
which  to  draw  for  support. 

We  may  be  proud  because  of  our  connection  with 
antiquity  or  because  we  belong  to  a  virile  new  race. 

Booker  T.  Washington,  a  splendid  soul,  declared 
(in  his  autobiography)  that  he  would  rather  be  a 
negro  than  of  any  other  race. 

This  sentiment  relegates  even  God's  chosen  people 
to  a  back  seat  in  his  estimation. 

But  the  chosen  people  can  point  with  pride  to  the 
record  which  shows  that  even  as  far  back  as  in  the 
times  of  Moses  the  great  leader  could  not  add  to  the 
number  of  his  wives  an  Ethiopian  lady  without  being 
sharply  upbraided  by  sister  Miriam  and  brother 
Aaron  for  such  lack  of  discrimination. 

We  may  boast  of  what  our  sires  did  or  because 
of  what  they  didn't  do  to  others ;  and  dote  on  their 
prowess  when  they  conquered,  as  much  as  on  their 
endurance  in  adversity  when  vanquished. 

Genealogical  lines,  despite  the  proverbial  skeleton 
in  the  closet,  are  full  of  shining  lights  by  which  the 
wanderer  can  see  his  own  great  qualities;  but  having 
to  start  life  as  a  foundling  does  not  handicap  a 
plucky  person  at  all,  for  he  or  she  can  exclaim  with 
Napoleon:  "I  am  an  ancestor!" 

We  may  feel  exalted  because  of  our  own  courage 
to  blaze  the  path  as  pioneers  for  this  or  that  cause ; 
or  we  may  gloat  over  being  prudent  enough  to  gather 
the  rewards  of  practicality. 

Religion,  too,  is  a  veritable  ocean  of  "I  am  better 
than  thou"  sentiments.    There  are  the  various  creeds 


MISCELLANEOUS  411 

with  different  classification  of  attendance,  contribu- 
tion and  piety.  Other  more  subtle  distinctions  may 
be  noticed  on  occasion.  Recently,  a  Catholic  edu- 
cational institution  in  Milford,  Conn.,  refused  admis- 
sion to  an  American  child  of  an  American  white 
mother  because  she  had  chosen  a  Chinaman  for  a 
husband,  who,  by  the  way,  served  as  a  Christian 
missionary  and  is  a  successful  business  man.  In  this 
there  seems  to  be  less  glory  for  God  than  vainglori- 
ousness  of  the  people  in  charge.  On  the  other  hand, 
in  non-religious  circles  he  who  can  throw  the  heaviest 
bricks  on  priests  and  ministers  takes  the  cake  or 
proclaims  his  right  to  it. 

Then  there  is  the  pride  of  occupation  to  be  con- 
sidered. Not  only  is  there  a  rivalry  of  conceptions 
amongst  the  several  callings  regarding  their  difficul- 
ties and  usefulness,  but  men  in  the  same  trade  or 
profession  can  find  lines  of  demarcation  over  which 
to  cast  a  sneer.  Lawyers  and  bank  presidents  may 
feel  as  having  arrived  at  a  station  worth  holding 
on  to ;  however,  they  are  called  "non-productive  loaf- 
ers," "parasites,"  and  similar  uncomplimentary 
names,  by  homy-handed  orators  in  the  open  meet- 
ings of  unskilled  laborers.  New  rich  men  flaunt  their 
wealth  as  much  as  many  a  poorhouse  candidate 
boasts  of  his  honesty. 

Pride  over  accomplishment  is  offset  by  self-pity 
because  a  lack  of  opportunity  to  make  the  most  of 
one's  self.  Incumbency  of  high  office  falls  in  the 
scale  of  esteem  by  the  slighting  name  "politician"; 
kings  and  emperors  on  their  thrones  are  regarded 
by  plain,  rugged,  sometimes  ragged  republicans  be- 
neath their  contempt. 


412  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Astronomers  are  the  humblest  of  all  folks.  They 
admit  the  existence  of  larger  earths  and  greater  suns, 
but  as  to  possessing  intelligent  inhabitants,  they  are 
only  sure  of  this  one  globe. 

Conceit  seems  to  be  a  spice  of  life  that  few  if  any 
can  do  without.  Even  in  the  army,  men  in  one  branch 
of  the  service  are  imbued  with  the  idea  of  being  more 
important  or  less  dispensable  than  they  could  be  in 
some  other  departments. 

The  mutual  estimation  of  neighbors  and  neighbor- 
hoods is  respectfully  referred  to  Irvin  Cobb  as  a  topic 
for  a  humorous  book. 

In  fact,  nothing  equalizes  humanity  quite  as  much 
as  the  dis-equality  of  their  esteem. 

The  only  place  a  person  can  set  up  the  notion  of 
social  equality  is  in  his  own  head,  and  more  rarely 
if  ever  in  his  own  heart.  If  there  are  souls  who 
could  institute  such  a  state  of  mind  and  feeling  and 
maintain  the  doctrine  for  several  decades  without  in- 
terruption, they  had  better  keep  quiet  about  the 
accomplishment  unless  they  enjoy  being  thought,  if 
not  called,  liars. 

LEAGUE  COVENANT— YES  AND  NO 

A  good  and  sensible  rule  of  composition  requires 
that  the  opening  paragraph  of  an  article  shall  dis- 
close its  import;  show,  as  it  were,  through  an  aper- 
ture the  kernel  of  the  nut  under  operation.  StiU, 
sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  interpose  a  lens  to  make 
for  better  vision. 

In  connection  with  the  idea  here  submitted  a  state- 
ment by  ex-President  Taft  may  serve  as  a  good  re- 


MISCELLANEOUS  413 

fleeter.  He  wrote  (in  the  Yale  Law  School  Jour- 
nal, some  years  ago)  :  "Law  in  the  abstract  aims 
for  justice;  in  practice  the  object  of  law  is  to  main- 
tain the  peace." 

Evidently,  if  laborers  were  content  to  work  for  a 
dollar  a  day  and  suffer  privations  or  starve  with- 
out disturbing  the  peace,  law-makers  would  never 
bother  to  change  conditions.  Also,  if  capitalists 
were  about  cheerfully  abandoning  their  control  over 
wealth  and  power,  neither  the  law  nor  the  law-mak- 
ers would  put  a  straw  in  their  way. 

Because  things  do  not  happen  that  way  unrest  is 
rampant  and  turmoils  come  on.  Between  the  mill- 
stones of  clashing  interests,  laws  are  ground  and 
shaped  into  the  form  statute  books  present  them. 

Yet  law-making  is  but  one- third  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  not  the  most  telling  part,  as  laws  depend 
for  their  meaning  on  those  in  power  to  interpret 
and  apply  them. 

For  instance,  we  might  as  well  have  no  prohibition 
laws  as  have  all  intoxicants  tabooed — and  half  a 
dozen  drunks  a  day  at  court  in  a  small  city. 

The  first  amendment  to  the  Constitution  might 
read:  "Congress,  whenever  so  disposed,  shall  make 
stringent  laws  abridging  the  right  of  free  speech, 
free  assemblage,  and  the  President  shall  appoint  a 
Postmaster  whose  privilege  it  shall  be  to  abridge  the 
freedom  of  the  press";  yet  if  Congress  would  be 
otherwise  disposed  and  the  Postmaster  would  be  of  a 
different  mould,  men  like  E.  V.  Debs  might  be  spared 
from  languishing  in  prison  and  numerous  publish- 
ers might  not  have  to  clamor  for  the  removal  of  the 
chief  of  the  post  office  department. 


414  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

So  a  League  of  Nations  may  prove  better  or  worse 
than  its  written  covenant.  This  instrument  might 
declare  that  the  purpose  of  the  organization  is  not 
to  prevent  oppression  and  slaughter  but,  firstly,  to 
give  its  members  all  possible  advantages  when  wag- 
ing war  against  anyone  outside  of  the  League ;  sec- 
ondly, to  uphold  those  who  are  favored  by  the  domi- 
nant party  in  the  League  against  such  as  fail  to 
gain  that  favor;  and  thirdly,  perhaps  mostly,  to 
perpetuate  and  increase  the  power  that  secured  con- 
trol of  the  League  at  its  very  inception — still,  the 
new  blank  pages  of  history  could  be  filled  with  the 
most  glorious  accounts  of  fair  adjustment  and  co- 
operative advance. 

The  proper  course,  then,  in  regard  to  the  League 
covenant  seems  to  be  a  utilization  of  the  new  inter- 
national conclave  for  promoting  world  welfare  with- 
out leaving  the  country  open  to  enemy  invasion. 

This  means  an  acceptance  of  the  entire  covenant 
with  a  reservation  in  toto ;  a  trial  marriage  the  dura- 
tion of  which  shall  depend  on  the  compatibility  of 
the  parties  concerned. 

With  nations,  as  with  individuals,  creeds  and  con- 
fessions may  have  their  uses,  but  character  and  con- 
duct is  the  means  of  salvation. 

The  League  covenant,  if  so  enacted,  would  give 
us  a  chance  to  show  the  degree  of  our  fitness  for  the 
new  dispensation. 


MISCELLANEOUS  415 


UNIVERSAL    LANGUAGE— WHY    NOT 
ENGLISH? 

Viewing  a  statistical  chart  of  languages,  hope  for 
a  common  medium  of  thought-exchange  is  apt  to 
shrink  and  shrivel  distressingly. 

Not  one  in  ten  persons  can  speak  English,  though 
more  than  two  employ  the  Chinese  tongue  and  nearly 
as  many  love  and  hate  in  the  Hindustani. 

Scarcely  one  in  twenty  speaks  German.  Of  Rus- 
sians there  are  a  few  more,  of  Spanish  a  few  less, 
while  only  one  in  thirty  knows  beautiful  French. 
Italian  is  still  less  used.  Bohemian,  Polish,  Danish, 
Roumanian,  Hungarian  and  others  too  numerous  to 
mention  have  their  devoted  supporters.  Sometimes 
it  would  seem  that  man  was  made  for  language  and 
not  language  for  man.  In  fact,  next  to  the  cause  of 
theology  the  cause  of  languages  served  most  often 
as  reason  or  excuse  for  hatreds  between  individuals 
and  wars  between  nations. 

The  greatest  blessing  of  a  universal  language  is 
not  its  positive  service,  but  the  negative  benefit  of 
eliminating  language  as  a  perpetual  bone  of  endless 
contentions.  On  the  positive  side,  one  language  is 
as  serviceable  as  the  other.  Many  great  peoples 
lived  and  died  and  their  mode  of  expression  all  but 
died  with  them.  But  while  they  lived  their  tongue 
served  them  as  well  as  ours  serve  us.  Mutual  under- 
standing of  language,  without  mutual  regard  of  soul, 
is  not  an  unmixed  blessing. 

For  one  familiar  with  several  languages  it  is  pa- 


416  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

thetically  amusing  to  read  the  self-glorification  in 
each. 

Were  the  world  disposed  to  have  a  common  lan- 
guage it  could  be  attained  within  the  life  of  a  single 
generation.  A  living  language  might  be  spread  over 
the  earth,  a  dead  one  resuscitated  and  made  to  throb 
with  life  everywhere,  or  a  new  language  invented  for 
encompassing  the  world. 

If  only  the  humankind  would  be  willing  to  own 
one  tongue  and  could  agree  as  to  which  it  should  be ! 

This  being  so,  were  it  not  in  order  to  make  a  bid 
for  the  required  disposition?  When  a  large  conven- 
tion takes  place  many  cities  vie  with  each  other  to 
secure  the  next  meeting  for  their  respective  interests. 
Bids  go  high  and  the  highest  bidder  wins  the  privi- 
lege. 

Similarly,  the  several  candidates  for  a  world  lan- 
guage might  be  backed  by  interested  parties.  The 
English-speaking  peoples  combinedly  could  well  af- 
ford to  offer  ten  million  teachers  and  ten  billion  dol- 
lars a  year,  for  the  next  thirty  years,  to  have  Eng- 
lish adopted  as  the  language  of  the  world.  Publish- 
ing interests  alone  could  supply  a  goodly  part  of  the 
fund  and  lose  nothing  by  their  liberality. 

No  other  ax  should  be  sharpened  on  this  grind- 
stone; no  acquisition  of  any  land,  no  suppression  of 
any  other  language  and  no  promulgation  of  any 
doctrine  aimed  at,  but  just  the  one-track  idea  of  a 
universal  language,  a  ccnimon  medium  of  world-wide 
thought  exchange. 

Then  why  not  grapple  with  English?  By  it  no 
pride  need  feel  offended.  We  use  Egyptian  symbols, 
Greek  star  names,  Arabian  numerals,  Italian  musical 


MISCELLANEOUS  417 

notation,  Latin  for  medicine,  and  the  vocabulary  of 
English  shows  it  to  be  more  of  a  composite  language 
than  Esperanto. 

Of  course,  the  adoption  of  English  for  a  world 
language  would  place  those  who  speak  it  in  a  posi- 
tion of  advantage,  but  this  can  be  offset  with  the 
offer  mentioned  or  one  still  more  liberal.  Bidding 
for  a  universal  language  is  in  order! 

Meanwhile,  the  United  States  Government  has  an 
immense  field  for  extending  the  use  of  English. 

For  one  thing,  the  government  might  contract 
with  every  foreign  language  paper  in  the  country  for 
a  column  or  two  and  run  intelligible  English  lessons 
in  them  all.  Instead  of  suppressing  the  foreign- 
language  papers,  they  ought  to  be  encouraged  to 
diminish  illiteracy  and  used  for  popularizing  Eng- 
lish where  it  is  most  and  immediately  needed.  The 
possibilities  of  such  a  move  are  great  and  many. 
The  lessons,  conducted  properly,  with  needed  sup- 
plementary work,  might  bring  it  to  pass  that  within 
a  few  years  everybody  who  reads  a  paper  would 
know  English! 

Other  suggestions  come  to  mind,  but  this  one 
seems  easiest  to  carry  out  and  most  promising  in 
result. 

True,  a  foreigner  in  learning  English  must  also 
learn  to  understand  the  flood  of  aspersions  cast  upon 
him  and  his.  Articles  bristling  with  vilification  and 
execration  are  shoved  under  his  eyes.  He  must  know 
the  vituperation  and  denunciation  poured  upon  his 
kind.  But  let  him  reflect  that  in  the  press  of  his 
home  quarters  the  identical  stuff  is  being  continually 
served  to  others. 


418  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Of  course,  English  as  a  universal  language  would 
have  an  additional  value.  As  such  it  would  be  given 
more  to  friendliness  than  detraction.  The  very  de- 
sire for  a  universal  language  diminishes  both  bigotry 
and  intolerance. 

OTHER    MISCELLANIES 


NEW    YEAR'S    DAY 

The  Mighty  Almanac  Men  declare  we  are  in  per- 
petual motion;  not  only  glide  we  high  up  in  air  and 
plow  on  through  depths  of  the  ocean,  but  we  are 
being  waltzed  at  a  run  of  several  miles  in  a  twinkling, 
while  the  Earth  speeds  with  and  'round  the  Sun  in 
strong  bonds  of  filial  linking. 

This  grand  free  ride  is  all  first-class — how  many 
wondrous  worlds  we  pass !  Some  keep  so  close  as  if 
they  were  a  newly  wedded  lovelorn  pair.  .  .  .  Yet 
on  we  speed  with  eyes  agaze;  the  more  we  see,  the 
more  we  praise,  and  with  the  knowledge  gained  we 
try  to  read  the  acts  of  passers-by. 

We  move  from  out  each  other's  ken,  but  meet  our 
gracious  friends  again;  for  though  the  Earth  does 
swerve  and  sway,  it  safely  rounds  its  spiral  way — 
held  by  Sol  on  his  apron-string,  we  circumfly  him 
in  a  ring  elliptical,  and  celebrate  our  outward  start 
as  New  Year's  date. 


MISCELLANEOUS  419 

PLEADINGS    IN    GREETINGS 

1913 

What  if  the  years  roll  by?     A  little  verse 
Will  weave  its  measures  through  the  universe;      * 
And  prove  the  mind,  though  tied  in  nerve-gland  rope, 
Of  all  embracing  universal  scope. 

What  if  each  day  leaves  but  a  memory,  where 
Sunrays  glittered?     Is  not  that  Shadows'   share? 
Earth's  glory  grows  with  circlings  of  the  globe. 
And  souls  grow  brighter  with  each  kindly  hope 

Imparted  or  received;  so  with  each  knell 

Of  Passing  Time,  from  its  exhaustless  store 

Of  good  and  right,  I  fain  would  wish  you  more.  .  .  . 

But  words  are  few,  aye,  far  too  few  to  tell 
Our  feelings;  so  I  simply  wish  you  well, 
From  heart's  deep  mine — sincerely  as  of  yore. 

1914 

"What  would  you  have  when  the  old  year  ends? 

Here  is  all  that  to  life  its  lustre  lends: 

Wit,  Wisdom,  Hope,  Joy,  Strength,  Health,  Wealth, 

Friends." 
"A  lot  of  Wit  for  daily  use,  of  Hope  to  last  as  long 

as  life; 
Sufficient   Wealth   to   pay  life's   dues;   of   Strength 

enough  for  righteous  strife; 


420  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Of  Wisdom's  core  to  seek  for  more, 
Enough  of  Joy  to  be  no  toy 
Of  Friends  a  host,  of  Health  the  most — 
For  worthy  aim." 

Wish  you  the  same. 

1915 

O  Father  Time,  so  often  and  so  much 

We  ask  of  you !    Forsooth,  that  if  some  "touch" 

Is  left  to  wither  unresponded,  none 

Must  needs  despair  of  gaining  grace;  so  on 

We  strive  and  hopeful  ask:  a  happy  glow 

To  radiate  from  all  our  wishes'  flow. 

Let  failings  of  all  nations,  races,  creeds. 
Melt  off  like  shadows — in  the  Shine  of  Deeds 
By  Each  for  All ;  grant  Work  to  go  with  Ease, 
And  that  our  wars  be  Conquest  of  Ills;  please. 
The  Seedless  Orange  as  we  owe  to  you, 
Oh  grant  us  "Graftless"  Legislation  too.   .  .   . 

Have  Truth  enthroned,  fill  hearts  with  Love  to  bless ; 

Give  unto  souls  the  Gift  of  Merriness ; 

So  that,  if  days  make  up  the  Chain  of  Year, 

Each  Link  in  pleasing,  rosy  light  appear. 

Yet  one  more  wish,  this  note  to  you  extends, 

O  Father  Time !  Deal  friendly  with  our  friends. 

1916 

May  this  our  trip,  through  starlit  space,  appall- 
ing paragraphs  efface  from  mankind's  story ;  adding 
to  that  book   a  lustrous  page  or  two   of  sense  so 


MISCELLANEOUS  421 

sound,  so  true  and  bright,  that  gloom  shall  be  re- 
placed by  light  and  joy;  whose  brilliant  rays  and 
theme  may  as  the  rainbow-promise  gleam. 

May  this  our  spin  around  the  Sun  produce  life's 
cloth  of  good,  home  spun  weave;  moulding  your  full 
share  of  it,  to  suit  and  please — a  perfect  fit ;  where- 
by aspiring  heart  and  soul  attain  unto  their  highest 
goal.  Withal,  fetch  all  health,  wealth  and  cheer,  and 
make  for  yet  a  better  year. 

1917 

There  is  time  for  work  and  time  for  play 
And  time  allowed  us  when  we  may 
Indulge   in   simple  wishing; 
Which  is  now  on  throughout  the  land, 
So,  here  we  come  with  liberal  hand 
Our  sentiments  a-dishing: 

For  childhood  careless  playful  years, 
For  youth  the  wisdom  which  endears 
Old  age  and  gives  it  standing; 
For  age-crowned  head  the  cheerful  brow 
With  heart  sustained  in  youthful  glow 
That  makes  the  world  enchanting; 

For  all  the  Earth  a  brighter  sky 
With  more  of  laughter  ringing  high 
And  less  appeal  of  sorrow; 
For  all  our  friends  we  wish  they  may 
Enjoy  each  hour  and  have  each  day 
Linked  to  a  hopeful  morrow. 


422  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 


1918 

The  notes  of  good-will  may  again  be  sounded 
And  friendly  missiles  sally  forth  to  cheer 
The  day  when  Time  unrolls  another  year 
For  present  use  and  to  be  merged,  compounded 
In  history.     Oh,  if  but  wishes  counted! 
There  would  be  none  to  shed  a  bitter  tear — 
(Your  humble  friend  still  being  on  this  sphere, 
Though  fifty  times  the  yearly  tour  he  rounded.) 

And  yet  who  knows.?     The  wish  may  further  action 
To  make  life's  pilgrimage  a  grand  attraction 
From  good  to  better  and  from  that  to  best; 
Mayhaps,  kind  words,  appropriately  spoken, 
Will  enter  into — help  produce — the  token 
Of  true  success  in  life :  bless  and  be  blest. 

1919 

Some  matters  are  subject  to  change; 
Regardless  how  we  would  arrange 
This  old  world,  it  has  its  own  way 
Still — some  things  must  vanish  as  dreams 
Dissolve  in  awakening  gleams. 
While  others  are  destined  to  stay. 

Who  could  count  the  old  hymns  of  hate 
That  have  ceased  to  reverberate 
In  afterdays?     Time  still  does  transmute, 
And  cloudbursts  of  spite  and  of  spleen 
Will  be,  as  they  ever  have  been. 
Concluded  in  rainbows  of  truth. 


MISCELLANEOUS  423 

But  snow-flakes  come  churling  in  fanciful  curling, 

As  white  and  as  sterling  as  ever  came  whirling 

Or  yet  may  fall  pearling  tenderly,  softly  on  human 

eyes. 
So,  on  through  years  fleeting,  the  heart's  friendl}^ 

beating. 
Despite  swords  unsheathing,  keeps  ever  repeating 
The  age  old  entreating  of  benevolent  skies. 

1920 

Whatever  the  vogue  in  far,  trans-earthly  spheres 
We,  here,  have  our  being — it  clearly  appears — 
In  a  quality  world!     As  of  old: 
The  wind  blows  by  motion,  rock  hardness  reveals, 
The  snow  with  its  whiteness  and  softness  appeals. 
The  ice  with  its  glistening  cold. 

It  is  not  mere  things  but  their  aspects  engage 
In  battle:  the  tempest  with  fury  and  rage. 
The  life-giving  light  with  its  gleam.  .  .  . 
And  qualities  rule,  as  with  scepter  and  crown. 
In  valleys,  on  mountains ;  from  the  emperor- frown 
To  that  smile  of  a  babe  in  his  dream. 

Men's  ways,  motives,  hopes,  all  are  measured  in  trays 

Of  a  huge  cosmic  scale  and  that  which  it  weighs 

For  the  better  grained  Destiny  culls — 

Oh,  say,  in  all  of  life's  great,  ceaseless  adventure 

What  lofty  emotion  surpasses  in  grandeur 

A  full-orbed  friendly  impulse.? 


424  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 


1921 

No  year  so  empty  but  it  had  its  days 

Of  glorious  spring,  its  humming  bees,  its  scent 

Of  blowing  roses  wafting  in  the  air; 

No  place  so  lonely,  desolate,  but  there 

A  coursing  sap  still  works,  creative  bent. 

In  all  the  myriad  known  and  unknown  ways. 

No  winter  quite  so  cold,  no  stormy  strife 
So  turbulent  but  humankind  survives; 
Some  birds  are  ever  left  upon  the  boughs, 
The  evergreen  slows  down  but  still  it  grows, 
Beyond  the  weepy  clouds  are  smihng  skies. 
Below  the  frozen  crust  is  throbbing  life. 

So  Time  forever  offers  time  to  be 

A  feather  in  the  universal  wing 

That  lifts  the  world,  and  time  to  cast  one's  vote 

Into  the  wondrous  soul-inspiring  growth 

That  never  stopping  raises — ring  by  ring — 

The  edifice  of  human  harmony. 


MISCELLANEOUS  425 

LITERARY    PREPAREDNESS 
I 

ON     THE     FOUNDING     OF     A     WRITERS*     CLUB 

On-rolling  time  calls  for  a  rhyme 
To  chronicle  a  recent  climb, 
A  climb  for  rarer  altitudes 
By  mentally  ambitious  youths 
In  homage  to  their  art  sublime. 

The  worthy  hand  that  wove  the  strand 
Of  pulsing  minds  into  a  band, 
The  simplest  snow-white  flag  did  choose, 
Inscribed  thereon  one  word:  PRODUCE! 
Enhanced  with  it  a  platform  and 

Lo !     As  by  magic  gathered  then 
Devoted  wielders  of  the  pen. 
Some  of  whom  may  yet  have  their  names 
Illumined,  glowing  bright  on  Fame's 
Fair  scroll.     Be  that  as  should;  no  clan 

Creative  bent,  no  Grecian  Gent 

To  loftier  Valhalla  went. 

Where  kindness  spread  a  finer  net; 

Nor  could  his  pampered  gaze  have  met 

A  lovelier  ladies'  group.   .    .    .  They  sent 

A  story  each,  a  song  or  ode 

To  be  allowed  in  this  abode 

For  learning  hardest  rules  most  true — 

It  makes  one's  old  red  blood  feel  blue 

That  such  a  sisterhood  can't  vote. 


426  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

But  they  were  there  and  heard  declare 
That  games  of  art  must  be  played  fair, 
That  privilege  had  given  way, 
Poetic  license  gone  for  aye — 
To  write  quite  well,  one  must  prepare! 

"Don't  lightly  skim,  no  fault  so  slim" 
Maestra  said  "but  mars — A  hymn. 
If  overdosed  with  hissing  's' 
Provokes  instead  a  soothing  'bless 
You  dear'  almost  its  antonym." 

"Through  study  dip  each  word  and  whip 
Each  sentence,  so  that  they  will  grip 
The  reader's  heart,  and  as  for  sense. 
That  too  may  be  of  consequence 
In  getting  the  rejection-slip." 

All  listened  hard,  with  mind  and  heart, 
How  one  becomes  a  full-fledged  bard 
And,  too,  the  session  ended  fine 
With  gleams  of  sparkling  Omar  wine — 
Thus  cheering  all  to  write  their  part. 

Now,  book  vendors  and  editors. 
Put  extra  guards  unto  your  doors; 
For  manuscripts  will  come  so  thick 
That  some  of  them  are  bound  to  stick 
And  carry  off  your  hoarded  stores. 


MISCELLANEOUS  427 


II 


Nearby  the  ground,  Long  Island  Sound 
Its  deepest  theses  did  expound; 
With  eloquently  rhythmical 
Recurring  waves  it  cast  a  spell 
On  all  the  listening  trees  around. 

The  vaulted  skies  with  billion  eyes 
Observed  the  scene;  how  wave  unties 
Its  fringed  edge  from  out  the  surge, 
How  coursing  currents  pressing  urge 
The  foamy  surf  to  symphonize: 

"Oh,  you  who  care,  oh,  thinkers  fair. 
Remember  that  I  come — from  where? 
From  chaos  all  through  stress  and  strife 
Have  I  come  to  harmonious  life; 
Why  should  not  humankind  get  there? 

"Breathe  verse  or  prose,  what  if  the  rose 
In  white  or  pink  or  golden  glows? 
Just  so  its  beauty  reigns  supreme 
To  make  complete  the  garden-dream 
From   whence   enchanting    fragrance    flows. 

"Your  verse  may  be  or  bound  or  free. 
Just  so  it  flutes  a  charming  plea 
From  heart  to  heart,  from  soul  to  soul 
For  broader  love  and  higher  goal 
And  better  social  harmony. 


428  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"  'Tis  hard  to  swim  against  the  grim 
Old  currents,  but  the  tiniest,  dim 
Good  force  will  grow  till  it  is  blest 
On  top  the  highest  moving  crest 
That  sprajeth  forth  the  lusty  brim. 

"In  spite  war-grant,  munition  plant 
And  hoary  ills  that  now  do  rent 
And  tear  the  heart  of  all  the  world. 
The  flag  of  right  remains  unfurled 
Embracing  all  who  by  it  stand. 

"Whatever  at  you  balk  or  fret 
And  see  but  dark — remember  yet; 
From  chaos  all  through  stress  and  strife 
Have  I  come  to  harmonious  life — 
The  world  cannot  stop  short  of  that!" 

Thus  beat  and  pound  with  voice  profound 
The  surging  waves  by  sea-waU  bound. 
Oh,  for  the  writer's  art  refined 
So  it  impress  on  all  mankind 
This  message  of  Long  Island  Sound. 

SONG    OF    THE    FEW 

On  a  summer's  eve,  at  the  shore  of  the  sea, 

A  wee  small  group  had  gathered  to  see 

What  ought  not  happen,  and  what  ought  to  be — 

There  was  no  speech,  and  upon  them  all  grew 
That  heavy,  disheartening,  melancholy  view 
Contained  in  these  few  words:  we  are  so  few! 

Silence  prevailed,  as  such  mood  may  well  bring. 
Till  one  of  their  number  was  inspired  to  sing 
This  odd  little  song  of  peculiar  ring: 


MISCELLANEOUS  429 

"I  am  eating  my  bread  with  the  few — of  my  kind 
Who  rather  would  lead  than  lag  on  behind 
Or   cut   through   the   darkness    than   stay   with   the 
blind.   .    .    . 

"I  am  dreaming  my  dreams  with  the  few — of  the  race 
Who,  ever  anxious  a  new  dawn  to  face, 
Have  hopes  as  boundless  as  infinite  space. 

"I  have  cast  in  my  lot  with  the  few — of  my  kin, 
Who  had  chosen  against  the  current  to  swim, 
The  banks  of  the  Isle  of  Justice  to  win. 

"So,  I'm  sharing  the  joys  of  the  few — few  indeed 
Who  see  the  tree  grow  while  planting  the  seed ; 
And  can  feel  its  shade  while  the  sapling  takes  feed. 

"So,  I'll  take  my  returns  with  the  few — in  my  town. 
Who  are  never  so  rich  as  to  long  for  a  crown 
And  never  so  poor,  but  their  souls  are  their  own !" 

When  the  song  had  ceased,  the  moon  shone  bright ; 
In  their  eyes  though  glittered  a  much  greater  light; 
The  shine  of  souls  when  they  know  they  are  right. 

FRIENDSHIP    BY    THOUGHT 

What  is  in  the  air  on  yonder  hill,  that  charms 
the  heart  with  power  of  will  to  climb  up  pathways 
new?  —  To  climb  and  climb  on  scattered  grist, 
through  winding  roadways  in  Morning  Mist ;  past 
pearly  glittering  dew  from  grass-blades  peering; 
past  aimless  odd  jeering  and  the  leer  of  the  frog; 


430  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

past  screech  of  an  owl,  and  the  enigmatic  growl  of 
a  stray  old  dog? 

Upward  attracts  the  mysterious  lead;  past  wood- 
ed landscape  scarcely  a-heed  of  rivulet's  rumble; 
onward  and  upward,  the  body  grown  limber  now 
striding  proudly  in  the  twilight's  glimmer,  now  think- 
ingly  humble ;  rough  stones  must  be  tossed  aside  and 
bridges  be  crossed  the  hidden  trails  along;  and  mus- 
cles ipay  tire,  yet  "higher"  calls  "higher"  the  hill 
top.     Can  Song 

Or  brush  ever  paint  the  rising  sun's  color?  Yet 
brighter  the  soul  which  sans  expecting  met  reward 
that  too  had  climbed  on  scattered  grist,  through 
winding  roadways  in  Morning  Mist — met  a  purpose- 
ful heart;  one  guided  on  high  by  the  self-same  sky 
through  like  trials;  can  there  aught  else  be  of  such 
glory  as  the  Parallel  Story  of  feelingful  thought? 


A   BABY    BORN 

(to    MRS.    E.    S.    M.) 

Like  a  new  day  with  its  breaking  mom, 

A  baby  born 

Is  a  new  hope,  unfolding  into  light 

All  that  it  might 

Be;  a  new  force  come  in  a  wondrous  way 

From  where,  through  time,  mysteriously 

It  had  lain; 

May  it  repay 

The  world's  wait,  the  father's  toil  and 

The  mother's  pain. 


MISCELLANEOUS  431 


MONTH   OF   MAY 

O  rise  ye  folks,  O  hearts  be  gay ! 

She  comes,  she  comes,  the  month  of  May ; 

With  flowing  rivers,  shining  skies, 

The  spell  of  magic  in  her  eyes. 

Her  loving  breath,  upon  the  land. 

Sets  life  aglow;  her  mighty  hand 

Is  weaving  forth  on  Time's  great  loom 

The  Hope  of  Mankind's  crimson  bloom. 

Ye  souls  who  on  your  lonesome  ways 
Have  cast  the  seeds  for  glorious  days 
To  come,  and  all  who  labored  well 
The  budding  plant  from  weeds  to  tell; 
Ye  hosts   that  long  to   dedicate 
This  youthful  Earth  to  Justice  Great, 
Oh  rise  ye  all  and  sing  the  air 
Of  "Right  Triumphant"  everywhere. 

As  sure  as  planets  onward  sway, 
She  comes,  she  comes,  the  month  of  May, 
When  flags  upon  each  City  Hall 
Shall  flutter  true  and  wave  for  all; 
When  through  the  air  of  balmy  Spring 
Some  thousand  million  voices  ring: 
Rejoice  O  world!  O  hearts  be  gay — 
She  came,  she  came,  the  month  of  May ! 


432  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

SONG    OF   PROLETARIAN    PATRIOTS 

We'll  follow  the  banner  so  grand, 
Whose  birth-cry  rang  out  the  word :  free ! 
Whose  very  first  triumph  cut  through 
The  black  heart  of  old  tyranny. 

We'll  die   for  the  beautiful  flag 
Proclaiming  the  citizen  free; 
Can  there  be  a  worthier  death, 
Than  dying  for  sweet  Liberty? 

We'll  follow  the  Stars  and  the  Stripes 

To  lighten  a  neighboring  woe; 

But  only  to  serve  millionaires 

And  procure  for  them  markets? — No! 

We'll  follow  the  Red,  White  and  Blue 
Wherever,  whenever  it  waves ; 
Excepting  to  fasten  a  chain 
On  the  limbs  of  some  quivering  slaves. 

We'll  follow  the  Star-Spangled  Cloth 
Which  could  redeem  an  unarmed  race ; 
But  oh !    Never  into  a  yoke 
And  no !     Never  into  disgrace. 

We'll  follow  Old  Glory,  we  will. 
Through  fire  and  water  and  strife ! 
But  the  standard  must  stand  for  the  Day 
Of  fair  International  Life. 

We'll  follow  the  emblem  so  fine 
To  the  ends  of  eternity. 
So   the  beautiful  banner,  it  must 
Bless,  glorify  humanity. 


MISCELLANEOUS  433 


NEW   LIBERTY 


All  speak  of  Freedom,  aye,  but  not  all  mean  the  same 
Liberty.     With  some  it  is  a  lifeless,  empty  name, 
A  phantom  nebula  to  ponder  and  to  muse 
About;    with    some    it    is    but    dreamers    and    their 

dreams. 
With  others  vengeance — ugly  nightmare  of  abuse, 
A  warlike,  horrid  carnage  Human  Freedom  means. 
From  out  of  all  these  shapes  that  many  minds  con- 
fuse 
Much  more  than   care   to   comprehend — we   are   to 
choose. 

And  choose  we  really  must!     The  tree  must  have 

its  root 
For  twigs  to  bud  and  green,  for  blooms  to  bring  their 

fruit. 
As  sea  must  surge  its  waves,  and  skies  shed  starry 

light. 
As   roses  show  by  color,  and  songs  must  glide  on 

sound ; 
So  every  intellect,  when  grown  to  mature  height. 
Must  have  its  anchorage,  its  Grand  Ideal  found. 
Now:  feared,  obscured,  denounced,  avoided  though  it 

be 
And  slandered  too,  what  is  more  grand  than  liberty? 

Behold  our  choice ! — She  is  not  wildly  mischief  bent ; 
Nor  beading  worthy  words  to  gain  a  worthless  end ; 
Nor  yet  the  haughty  dame  that  cannot  hear  unless 
The  siren  sound  of  gold  rings  from  the  calling  note ; 


434  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Nor  yet,  again,  that  old,  beguiling  sorceress 
Constraining  all  (with  misty,  glimmering,  phosphor- 
wrote, 
Uncertain  sayings ;  by  feeble,  false,  misleading  light) 
To  wage  an  aimless,  joyless,  ceaseless,  senseless  fight. 

From  inmost  depth  of  heart  we  frankly  disavow 
The  reigning  queen  that  breeds  perverted,  soulless, 

low, 
And  savage  monarchs,  whose  black  joy  and  craven 

caU 
Is  training  men  to  live  and  die  like  slaves — 
Mean  slaves  to  conjured  fears;  vile  slaves  in  pom- 
pous thrall 
Of  unearned  guilty  ease ;  fat  lackies  to  the  graves 
Of  dead  gone  by,  who  fain  would  force  us  all  to  go 
The  thornful,  tearful  path  of  mournful  long  ago. 

Did  Earth  evolve  for  this,  did  mankind  evolute 

To  fall  a  helpless  victim  to  the  fiercest  brute 

Of  its  own  make?     Have  our  forebears  but  toiled 

and  brought. 
Through  oceans  deep  of  blood  and  tears,  the  Ship 

of  State 
For  us,  upon  the  quicksand  shoals   of  jungledom, 

fraught 
With  ills,  to  run  aground?     And  were  the  wondrous, 

great. 
Poetic  steel  and  iron  structures  made,  to  cause 
Our  sinking  deeper  down  than  mankind  ever  was? 

The   curse,   the   shame   of  it!     The   awful,  blasting 

truth; 
That  sex  and  mind  be  led  to  wilt ;  to  prostitute 


MISCELLANEOUS  435 

The  virtues  life  demands;  that  he  be  famed  "great 

man" 
Who,    hoarding    common-stock    blocks    and    blocks 

stock-preferred, 
Would  drown  the  world  in  pauper's  ignorance.  .   .   . 

The  clan 
Of  tyrant  fools !     They  err  if  ever  men  have  erred 
In  feeling  safe  while  doing  wrong.     0  common  sense, 
Does  not  each  action  weave  its  consequence.? 

Who  crush  or  cringe,  no,  theirs  is  not  the  liberty 
That  we  adore.     Oh,  what  a  difference  there  can  be 
Back  of  one  name !     So  look  you  right.  .    .    .  What 

if  our  choice 
Of  liberty  is  new.?     What  if  by  many  frowned 
Upon?     What  if  confined  to  huts?     Still  we  rejoice 
In  her  advance  from  fettered  ground  to  fields  un- 
bound— 
And  in  her  magic  sway,  as  all  around  the  globe, 
From  seeds  of  black  despair,  she  grows  red  blooms 
of  hope. 

Salute  New  Liberty!  the  just,  the  wise,  the  kind 

That  freedom  real  does  yield  to  body  and  to  mind; 

That  sets  man  free  from  dim,  dark,  tortured  cen- 
turies' 

Accumulated  wrong ;  free  from  the  strangling  throes 

Of  want ;  from  blurs  of  too  much  toil ;  from  base  sur- 
cease 

Of  goods;  from  Haunting  Ghosts  of  man-for-man 
made  woes, 

And  from  the  gnawing  fear  of  crushing  though  un- 
known 

A  fellow  human  life  by  holding  to  our  own. 


436  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Who  else  for  less  may  settle,  we  would  be  free  in 

truth: 
Sweet  harmony  to  finger  upon  a  riftless  lute, 
For  cloudless  playful  years;  to  breathe  the  light, 

pure  air 
Of  vision's  fragrant  fields;  to  glory  in  the  wealth 
Of  standing  on  unlorded  soil,  by  sweet  and  fair 
Sunshine  of  human  joy  encircled;  to  grow  in  health 
And  love ;  to  think,  to  strive,  to  work,  to  set  the  pace 
In  gaining  nature's  comfort  for  the  human  race. 

Indeed,  when  ghouls  and  flunkies  speak  of  "Liberty" 
It  is  a  fraud,  a  farce,  a  sore,  an  aching  travesty 
On  Freedom's  proud  estate.     Or  if  theirs  he  the  old 
Goddess,  salute!     Good-bye!     She's  dead  to  all  in- 
tents. 
Sans  throbbing  life.     O  friends,  leave  her  to  metals, 

gold 
That  caused  her  fall,  and  be  ye  blessed  instruments 
Of  power  for  the  new — The  Grand  New  Liberty, 
Whose  call  to  glory  rings:  Be  equals  and  he  free! 

Does  it  seem  dreamy,  distant,  as  a  far-off  moon? 
Yet — she  is  coming!     Yet — she  may  be  here  quite 

soon 
And  clear  from  off  Earth's  face  the  thickened  grimy 

slimes 
Of  self-worship ;  so  loving  waves  of  human  heart 
Can  melt  off  cords,  entwined  on  it  by  ancient  rhymes. 
In  ages  past  .    .    .  tiU  wings  of  virtue,  pulse  of  art. 
Each  precious  throb  in  every  breast  shall  freely  beat 
For  Right  and  Truth.     Hark!     Ours  the  privilege 

to  greet 


MISCELLANEOUS  437 

The  dawn  of  a  new  age.  Reveille  in  every  tongue 
Is  pealing  forth,  and  echoes  many  million  strong. 
The  call  resounds  from  pole  to  pole,  from  shore  to 

shore : 
Levez ! — Erwacht ! — Awake !     Here  is  the  promised 

land.   .    .    . 
Emblazoned  flags  and  banners  overhead  implore 
Us  all  to  take  possession !    'Tis  within  reach  of  hand 
With  but  this  one  condition,  hark!  All  must  be  free 
For  any  one  to  claim  the  grand  New  Liberty. 

Hail  thee,  exhilarating  morn !     All  nations  on 
The  face  of  Earth  arise  to  say  in  unison: 
Get  thee  behind  us.  Greed,  chief  instrument  of  Vast 
Woe  (helping  Ignorance  to  flourish  and  endure), 
Mankind's  divider  into  warring  creeds  and  caste. 
Get  thee  behind  us,  cursed,  wanton  preferment's  lure ! 
Of  whatever  name,  of  whichsoever  kind 
If  thou  art  Social  Dross,  get  thee  behind! 

To  you,  New  Liberty,  high  strivings'  holy  aim ; 

Redeemer  of  the  Earth,  of  glowing  hearts  the  flame. 

Of  martyrs'  blood  the  red,  in  righteousness  con- 
ceived. 

Who  greetest  every  babe  from  birth  as  of  your  own 

Household;  who  bringest  new  rights  with  old  rights 
retrieved ; 

Whose  very  coming  shakes  the  tyrant's  golden 
throne — 

To  you  we  dedicate  the  wealth  our  will  controls; 

The  fibers  of  our  body,  the  sunlight  of  our  souls. 


438  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 


TAXPAYERS'    PLAINT 

When  the  clouds  have  gathered  too  thick  and  too 

heavy  upon  the  skies,  there  comes,  as  its  levy, 
Thunder  and  lightning,  storm  and  stress;  in  man- 
kind's political  affairs,  no  less. 
If  too  many  troubles  had  been  aforming,  there  comes 

a  time  for  desperate  storming.  .    .    . 
Such  was  the  state  in  a  certain  city ;  not  even  bright 

and  usual  witty 
Editors  durst  poke  fun  at  the  general  gloom;  for 

theirs  was  a  lot  of  collateral — 
And  it  is  one  of  the  old  standard  laws  that  hearts 

incline  as  interest  draws. 
How  should  the  editor  humor  a  fault,  when  all  his 

supporters  command  him  to  halt.? 
But  such  was  the  case  in  this  uneasy  town,  the  better 

the  citizen  the  sterner  his  frown. 
The  higher  he  stood  the  louder  his  grumblings.     So 

came  the  storm  with  flashes  and  rumblings. 
The  sky  hung  low,  more  ominous  were  the  clouds 

than  in  Europe  before  the  world  war. 
Streets   turned   Exchange   of   Meaningful   Glances; 

some  vented  threatenin'  utterances — 
The  storm  was  due,  men  faced  it  blandly,  now  was 

the  time !  .    .    .  Consequently, 
Before  the  august  City  Fathers  appeared  the  boldest 

and  the  smartest. 
Most  influential  delegation  to  raise  protest  against 

taxation ; 
Against  increasing  of  the  taxes,  by  men  most  likely 

having  axes 


MISCELLANEOUS  439 

To  grind,  dull  as  in  weeks  of  travel  you  find.     The 

once  beflowered  gavel 
Fell  thrice  to  call  for  silence !    Order !    Which  ensued 

on  excitement's  border. 
Then  the  mayor  with  solemn  notation  spoke:  "Gen- 
tlemen of  the  delegation, 
Your  patriotism  we  duly  admire,  the  city's  interests 

center  in  you; 
We  know,  for  the  common  good  you  aspire,,  and  we 

are  assembled  to  hear  you  through." 
Now,  first  to  speak  was  a  man  tall  and  fat  (in  Prince 

Albert  coat,  with  cylinder  hat). 
He  rasped  his  voice,  and  after  some  pause,  he  thus 

orated  the  taxpayers'  cause: 
"For  many  years  we  forebore  though  displeased,  but 

patriotic  patience  has  ceased 
To  be  virtue.     There  is  no  use  hushing;  the  burden 

of  taxes  is  utterly  crushing! 
You  are  paying  too  much  to  a  crowd  of  men  for 

sitting,  out,  mostly  in  front  of  their  den; 
To  others,  you  pay  an  awful  sum,  for  dressing  a 

little  and  walking  some.   .    .    . 
You're  squandering  money  as  if  it — well,  as  if  we 

drew  it  from  a  bottomless  well; 
As  if  we  knew  not  how  to  expend,  whatever  surplus 

the  balance  may  tend. 
In  the  name  of  Justice,  for  the  sake  of  pity,  must 

every  one  employed  by  the  city 
A  grafter  be  or  have  a  soft  snap  ?    Keepers,  sweepers 

or  be  they  teachers, 
Must  all  of  them,  like  high-tone  preachers,  be  ca- 
joled and  cuddled  in  luxury's  lap? 


440  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Why,   printers,   sprinklers,   janitors,  jailers   charge 

even  more  than  custom  tailors ! 
Oh,  why,  for  services  now  do  you  pour  double  the 

money  it  could  be  had  for? 
Do  you  lack  the  sense  of  fairness,  or  can  our  burdens 

be  unknown  to  you  men? 
We  are  being  snowed  under  and  given  the  chills,  by 

painters',  plumbers',  and  roofers'  bills. 
The  carpenters'  long  list  of  items  divers,  give  our 

spines  the  inverted  shivers. 
Out-goes  a  swelling,  incomes  grown  thin  with  cruel 

eviction-nightmares  thrown  in — 
Withal  here  you  crack  the  taxing  whip!     Now,  un- 
less you  want  us  to  pack  our  grip. 
Pull  up  our  stakes  and  move  from  hence  to  places 

with  more  sound  common  sense. 
You  must  act  fairly  with  us  once  more.    And  I  hope 

you'll  turn  a  new  leaf  o'er." 
With  a  jerk  on  his  coat-tail  the  man  took  his  seat, 

and  every  one  felt  the  speech  was  a  feat. 

The  councilmen  sat  in  deep  silence  still ;  one  thought 

of  a  certain  improvement  bill 
He  had  promised  his  neighbor's  good-looking  wife, 

some  thought  of  their  own — political  life; 
Some  were  confused  by  all  this  hammering  against 

the  thousand  wants  aclamoring; 
Not  to  be  "roasted"  and  neither  to  rue,  what  should 

an  humble  alderman  do? 
Amidst  such  solemn  cogitation,  a  second  man  of  the 

delegation 
(With  grayish  hair  and  bent  in  chest,  a  gold  chain 

dangling  from  his  vest) 


MISCELLANEOUS  441 

Rose  to  his  feet  and  spoke  his  mind:  "Gentlemen, 
do  you  think  we  are  blind? 

Do  jou  think  because  the  jackpot  is  hidden  in  fold- 
able  woodpiles,  viz. : 

Orders,  contracts  and  offices  new,  we  cannot  surmise 
its  revenue; 

We  may  not  guess  at  its  hold  or  its  flow,  and  never 
dream  what  makes  the  mare  go? 

Oh,  man,  we  are  having  plenty  of  ills,  without  sup- 
plying with  frills  and  thrills 

The  taxfree  rabble  that  wears  off  the  paving,  but 
flies  from  adversity's  least  little  swaying. 

You  stop  this  playing  to  galleries ;  continual  raising 
of  salaries ; 

This  demagogic  talk  for  the  'masses';  this  handing 
out  of  cakes  and  molasses 

To  all  the  hookwormed  and  demented!  Your  work 
is  all  for  the  tax-exempted.   .    .    . 

For  them  are  maintained  the  public  parks ;  for  them 
are  lit  up  the  electric  arcs ; 

For  them  the  city  is  made  resplendent ;  for  them  the 
streets  are  broadened  and  lengthened 

Fine  concerts  given  and  lectures,  forsooth,  the  cor- 
ner curb-stones  made  round  and  smooth! 

With  hospitals,  churches  and  playgrounds  free, 
theirs  is  a  perpetual  jubilee! 

Library,  poorhouse — here  a  big  cough — for  them 
will  there  be  never  enough? 

Now  plenty  of  us  are  sore,  sick  and  tired  of  being 
mulcted,  being  conspired 

Against !  No  more  extravagances  shall  upward 
aeroplane  expenses. 


442  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Nor  shall  you  pile  on  us  debt  upon  debt,  there  are 
plenty  of  bonds  elsewhere  to  be  had. 

Harken!  We  ask  you  to  cut  down  taxes,  ere  wrath 
into  rebellion  waxeth 

Ere  angered,  outraged,  we  take  to  arm  and  make 
it  for  you  subterraneously  warm." 

So  finished  the  second,  his  gesture  and  frown  dis- 
pensing daggers  as  he  sat  down. 

His  eloquence  for  so  true  a  cause,  was  rewarded  by 
a  round  of  applause. 

Then  silence  again,  the  silence  sad,  where  no  one 
knows  what  could  be  said. 

So  seconds  passed  in  unpleasant  stress,  then  upstood 

a  third  man  quite  plain  of  dress 
And  evidently  impressed  by  the  others,  turned  upon 

his  delegate  brothers 
And    inquired,    anxiously,    ruffled,    perplexed:    "Oh, 

fellow  taxpayers  why  have  we  come  hither .^^ 
If  paying  rent  is  so  much  sweeter,  wherefor  submit 

to  being  taxed!" 


ALLIED    OPERATION 

A    SHORT    STORY 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilbert  confronted  a  greater  hard- 
ship than  ever  before  in  the  three  years  of  their 
married  life.  It  was  a  problem  of  shelter,  always 
difficult,  but  now  driving  many  into  desperation. 

As  a  flood  inundating  the  countryside  fills  every 
nook  and  crevice,  so  the  influx  of  people  to  the  town 


MISCELLANEOUS  443 

where  the  manufacture  of  war  implements  offered 
to  large  hosts  better  than  usual  wages,  filled  every 
available  room  in  the  city. 

The  Gilberts,  like  many  others,  received  the  dis- 
mal notice  to  move  and  could  find  no  place  of  refuge, 
not  to  mention  a  home  within  their  income.  Ten 
days  of  running  around  all  over  town  sapped  their 
energies,  and  the  day  before  dispossession  the  couple 
felt  disheartened  indeed.  Anybody  would  feel  uneasy 
in  such  a  predicament;  yes,  even  though  a  chorus 
of  a  thousand  voices  sang  "Glory  to  the  highest," 
and  "Don't  worry,  dear." 

True  it  is  that  the  awful  congestion  had  a  com- 
pensatory feature  in  that  it  taught  many  persons 
to  forbear  each  other's  idiosyncrasies.  Moreover, 
newly  wedded  couples  were  glad  for  a  nest  with  the 
old  folks ;  in  not  a  few  cases  old  traditions  were 
overturned  and  they  learned  to  like  their  parents- 
in-law. 

But  some  of  the  newcomers  could  find  no  lodging 
at  all,  while  others  found  themselves,  so  to  speak, 
washed  from  under  the  sheltering  roof. 

Thus  it  was  with  the  Gilberts.  To-morrow  they 
were  to  be  put  on  the  street.  He  began  to  hate  land- 
lords in  general  and  those  who  refused  him  or 
turned  him  away,  in  particular;  they  all  seemed  to 
be  banded  in  a  mean  conspiracy  against  him  and  his 
lovely  little  family. 

Mrs.  Gilbert  slept  scarcely  a  wink  throughout 
the  night.  She  watched  for  the  sound  of  the  news- 
boy who  left  the  paper  at  their  home  early  in  the 
morning.  The  swish  of  the  paper  jerked  her  out 
of  bed;  she  hastily  put  on  a  kimono,  hurried  to  the 


444  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

hall  door,  took  up  the  newspaper,  lit  the  gas  and 
greedily  scanned  the  page  of  want  advertisements. 
.  .  .  What  matters  the  siege  of  Verdun  or  the 
Chase  in  Mexico  to  one  who  has  no  shelter  for  the 
night  ? 

"Henry!"  she  called,  after  having  searched 
through  the  columns,  "here  is  a  chance;  hurry  up, 
don't  let  us  be  late  again." 

As  a  matter  of  habit  the  husband  respected  the 
wife's  request,  though  this  time  not  without  grum- 
bling. "I  suppose  we  will  have  to  go  out  at  mid- 
night to  find  a  place  to  live  in." 

"It  is  nearly  six  o'clock  and  it  seems  to  be  a 
private  party  who  has  the  letting.  If  you  hurry 
you  may  be  there  before  seven  and  you  may  be  lucky 
enough  to  be  the  first  to  apply." 

"If  I  wake  them  from  their  sleep,  they  might  re- 
fuse me  just  for  spite." 

"Well,  the  advertisement  doesn't  say  at  what  hour 
to  call,  so  you  just  hurry,"  pleaded  Mrs.  Gilbert; 
but  it  was  she  who  did  all  the  hurrying  in  the  house ; 
finding  his  collar  and  shirt,  putting  in  buttons, 
bringing  forth  his  Sunday  clothes  and  preparing 
breakfast. 

When  half-dressed,  Mr.  Gilbert  inquired  in  a  voice 
not  yet  free  from  grouch:  "Well,  what  is  it,  where 
is  it.?" 

She  pointed  to  the  advertisement  and  read :  "  'To 
rent,  four  rooms,  upstairs,  quiet  place' — after  a  few 
moments'  pause  she  continued — '345  Glendale  Av- 
enue.' I  like  the  number,  it  is  easy  to  remember 
and  I  like  the  name  of  the  street." 

The   good  prospect,   together   with   the   hope   of 


/  MISCELLANEOUS  U5 

pleasing  his  better  half,  put  some  enthusiasm  into 
Mr.  Gilbert.  He  got  ready,  settled  down  to  break- 
fast and  took  the  newspaper  in  hand  to  look  at  the 
fortunate  chance  with  his  own  eyes.  "Why,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "we  are  locked  out  from  here;  it  says:  'To 
rent,  four  rooms,  quiet  place  to  couple  only!'  " 

"You  must  not  tell  them  everything  to  begin 
with." 

"It  is  they  who  begin  the  asking.  At  one  place  I 
was  refused  because  plumbers  step  heavy.  You  see, 
we  are  martyrs  of  my  occupation." 

"Tell  them  you  are  a  teacher;  everybody  likes 
a  teacher."  (Of  course,  she  did  not  mean  it  so  as 
to  raise  their  pay,  but  only  made  reference  to  them 
as  tenants.) 

"I  am  not  given  to  lying." 

"That  is  not  lying;  that  is  diplomacy.  You  are 
teaching  your  helper,  aren't  you.''" 

"I  am  a  plumber,  not  a  diplomat." 

"Then  I  must  be  one,"  thought  Mrs.  Gilbert,  set- 
ting her  mind  to  work  while  drinking  her  coifee. 

Breakfast  finished,  Mrs.  Gilbert  rose  and  said: 
"Henry,  I  want  you  to  do  something  for  me."  She 
kissed  him  quickly  as  a  sort  of  an  advanced  payment, 
after  which  it  was  next  to  impossible  for  her  husband 
not  to  mind  her. 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  do?" 

"Go  to  the  place  and  say  nothing  about  our  baby. 
If  they  ask,  tell  them  that  we  are  only  a  couple." 

"What.?  Deny  our  child.?  I  will  die  before  I  do 
that." 

"But  if  we  are  put  on  the  street,  our  baby  will 
die  of  pneumonia!"  Mrs.  Gilbert  said,  hardly  hold- 


446  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

ing  her  tears  in  abeyance.  "Anyhow,v  I'll  take  the 
baby  to  a  nursery,  so  your  statement  will  be  true." 

"But !" 

"Never  mind !"  Another  kiss  broke  his  resistance. 
StiU  he  would  not  go.  Mrs.  Gilbert  knew  her  hus- 
band. He  was  a  crank  on  honesty,  as  some  other 
men  may  be  in  regard  to  color,  taste  or  fashion. 
She  dressed  herself  and  her  nine-months-old  boy  hur- 
riedly, yet  finding  time  to  bestow  many  fervent  kisses 
on  the  child. 

Both  left  the  house,  she  with  the  boy  on  her  arms 
and  he  on  his  hunt  for  the  fortune  of  a  small  tene- 
ment. 

Their  way  led  in  different  directions.  After  a 
minute's  walk  she  turned  back,  and  seeing  her  hus- 
band at  a  safe  distance  she  returned  to  the  house, 
put  the  child  in  comfort,  kissing  it  some  more  and 
still  more  fervently. 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  Gilbert,  on  arriving  at  the  adver- 
tised place,  found  that  he  was  not  the  first  caller. 
.  .  .  He  saw  two  ladies  coming  down  the  porch 
and  a  man  and  a  woman  being  admitted  at  the  door. 
He  felt  like  turning  back,  but  what  was  he  to  tell 
his  wife.''  He  passed  up  and  down  before  the  house 
trying  to  decide  on  the  best  thing  to  do.  In  a  little 
while  the  couple  came  out  and  he  approached  them. 

"Did  you  rent  the  place?" 

The  woman  answered:  "No,  he  would  not  let  us 
have  it." 

"Why.?" 

"Because  we  have  a  dog.  Say,  our  Lolly  is  the 
cutest,  best  behaving  dog  you  ever  saw;  but  the 
landlords  are  awfully  stuck-up  nowadays." 


MISCELLANEOUS  447 

"The  dog  is  faithful  to  us  and  we  will  be  faithful 
to  the  dog,"  remarked  the  man,  and  the  couple 
passed  on. 

Mr.  Gilbert  felt  little  disposed  to  make  the  in- 
quiry, but  he  was  bound  to  give  an  account  of  his 
errand;  and  so  with  a  determination  bom  of  his 
wife's  compelling  influence,  he  rang  the  bell. 

An  elderly  man  opened  the  door.  He  was  but  half 
shaved.  "I  will  not  apologize  for  my  awkward  ap- 
pearance," he  said  in  a  tone  of  tried  temper.  "I 
had  six  callers  this  morning,  about  one  to  every  two 
strokes  of  the  razor.  .  .  .  No,  you  did  not  disturb 
me.  I  just  had  a  couple  leave.  They  wanted  to 
bring  here  an  elephant  of  a  St.  Bernard  dog.  .  .  . 
And  we  advertised  explicitly  enough  that  the  rent 
is  for  a  couple  only.  .  .  .  They  are  not  rented 
yet.  .  .  .  Eighteen  dollars.  .  .  .  Yes,  yes,  we  could 
get  twenty-five  if  we  were  disposed  to  abuse  any- 
body. .  .  .  But  we  do  want  a  quiet  couple  like  our- 
selves. Well,  you  may  look  over  the  flat.  .  .  .  Yes, 
I  dare  say  they  are  all  right,  but  don't  you  want 
your  wife  to  look  over  the  rooms?" 

"We  do  not  want  to  take  a  chance  on  any  one 
getting  ahead  of  us.  I  am  sure  my  wife  will  be 
pleased.     She  is  a  good,  sensible  woman." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  that.  If  you  think  of  her 
highly,  she  thinks  of  you  well,  and  holding  a  thought 
is  having  the  thing.  .  .  .  All  right,  sit  down  a 
minute;  I  will  bring  you  a  receipt." 

Mr.  Gilbert  hurried  home  with  his  trophy — the 
rent  receipt — in  his  hands.  He  handed  the  paper 
to  his  wife,  saying:  "We  have  the  rent.  I  didn't 
have  to  tell  anything  about  our  baby,  the  man  took 


448  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

it  for  granted  that  we  are  only  the  two  of  us,  but — " 
On  seeing  the  child  he  almost  smothered  it  with 
kisses.  Suddenly,  he  withdrew  and  his  face  turned 
as  cloudy  as  the  sky  before  a  storm.  "What  are 
we  going  to  do?"  he  asked  in  tones  of  despair,  "we 
won't  give  up  our  baby,  they  might  not  let  us  in  and 
now  I  have  paid  out  the  money  too." 

Mrs.  Gilbert  petted  her  husband  tenderly.  "Cheer 
up,  my  boy,"  she  said,  "I'll  see  this  matter  through. 
.  .  .  Oh,  you  weren't  the  first?  .  .  .  You  are  as 
smart  as  any  man.  .  .  .  Did  he  say  that?  .  .  . 
Well,  you  just  watch  my  diplomatic  activities!" 

That  afternoon  they  made  their  triumphal  entry 
into  Glendale  Avenue.  The  baby  was  placed  in  a 
clothes  basket  and  so  smuggled  into  the  upstairs 
flat  without  attracting  the  notice  of  the  landlady 
downstairs.  .    .    . 

In  fact,  Mrs.  Gilbert  was  determined  to  keep  the 
baby  so  quiet  that  the  people  below  should  not  know 
about  the  child  at  all. 

Though  her  plan  was  made  without  baby's  con- 
sent, he  played  heroically  the  required  part,  keep- 
ing as  still  as  ever  a  baby  could. 

Of  course,  Mrs.  Gilbert  knew  that  once  her  baby 
began  to  yell  and  cry,  he  would  exercise  his  larynx 
as  lustily  as  if  there  were  no  landlords  on  the  earth. 
She  only  wanted  a  little  time. 

The  very  next  morning  Mrs.  Gilbert  made  friends 
with  the  landlady,  who  proved  to  be  a  thorough  be- 
liever in  the  cheerful  attitude  of  mind.  In  fact, 
Mrs.  Travis  did  not  believe  that  there  was  anything 
wrong  on  earth,  or  any  trouble  save  "mortal  error 
of  mind,"  a  sort  of  vermiform-appendix  figment  of 


MISCELLANEOUS  449 

the  imagination.  She  was  delighted  to  find  in  her 
new  neighbor  a  very  pleasant  and  most  agreeable 
person  and  a  pupil  of  great  aptitude. 

Mrs.  Gilbert  was  very  much  interested  in  all  the 
landlady  had  to  say.  She  took  the  new  philosophy 
as  a  great  find.  Yes,  she  was  invited  by  Mrs.  Travis 
to  her  church,  "small  but  very  cheerful."  Mrs.  Gil- 
bert, of  course,  would  have  promised  going  almost 
anywhere  to  gain  the  end  she  had  in  view.  She 
thanked  Mrs.  Travis  most  heartily,  flattered  her 
with  expressions  of  gratitude,  told  her  a  secret  or 
two,  and  not  only  that  but  she  confided  to  the  land- 
lady the  deepest  emotions  of  her  soul,  and  the  inner- 
most longings  of  her  heart. 

"You  have  a  very  kind  disposition,"  said  Mrs. 
Travis,  and  thought  no  more  about  it. 

On  the  evening  of  their  second  day  in  the  new 
home,  Mrs.  Gilbert  turned  to  her  husband,  saying, 
"Please  go  downstairs  and  tell  Mr.  Travis  and  also 
Mrs.  Travis  to  come  up  for  a  minute." 

The  invited  ones,  curious  to  know  what  might  be 
the  matter,  followed  Mr.  Gilbert  upstairs. 

"Look,  Mrs.  Travis,"  exclaimed  the  anxious 
mother,  "this  is  the  baby  we  chose  for  adoption!" 
She  held  up  the  blinking  little  fellow,  fully  convinced 
that  his  winsomeness  would  make  even  a  heart  of 
stone  leap  in  admiration.  "We  always  held  the 
thought  for  a  baby  and  now  here  we  have  it.  Isn't 
it  wonderful?" 

The  landlady  should  have  been  duly  charmed,  of- 
fered herself  as  godmother  and  arranged  a  goodly 
feast ;  all  of  which  the  mother  counted  on  as  a  possi- 
bility.    But  Mrs.  Travis  only  bit  her  lips  and  said: 


450  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

"I  hope  it  will  fit  in  a  quiet  place."  While  going 
down  the  stairs  she  whispered  to  her  husband :  "Why, 
it's  their  own  baby;  anybody  can  see  that.  They 
came  in  under  false  pretenses.  They  are  liars.  We 
ought  to  put  them  out !" 

The  man  who  had  turned  away  more  than  a  hun- 
dred applicants  for  the  rooms  during  the  first  half 
of  the  previous  day,  answered:  "Softer,  my  sweet- 
heart, softer.  What  can  be  more  virtuous  than  a 
white  lie — in  war  times?" 

"Yes,  but  they  will  deprive  us  of  peace  and  quiet 
in  our  own  home." 

"Suppose  we  proceed " 

"Yes,  proceed  against  them,  get  the  sheriff " 


"Not  that  way.  Suppose  we  test  our  faith;  I 
mean,  suppose  we  consider  ourselves — at  least  for  a 
time — merely  fellow  tenants.  Can't  we  summon 
enough  will-power  for  that.'"' 

The  couple  were  seated  in  their  front  room.  Mrs. 
Travis  thought  a  while,  then  she  went  over  to  her 
husband,  and  stroking  his  steel  gray  hair,  she  said: 
"Let's  will!" 

Baby  Gilbert  acted  as  if  knowing  that  the  critical 
moment  had  passed.  He  gave  free  vent  to  his  pent- 
up  energies  and  exercised  his  vocal  chords  to  make 
up  for  lost  time.  But  the  juvenile  lung-power  could 
not  break  the  mature,  though  newly  made-up,  will- 
power of  the  couple  downstairs.  Love,  Wit,  Charity 
and  Faith  worked  together  for  his  benefit. 


PART    TEN 
FROM   SUNRISE    TO   SUNDOWN 

A  Series  of  Songs,  Fusing  Sense  and  Sentiment 


FROM   SUNRISE   TO    SUNDOWN 

THE    ROAMER* 

Wandering  stars  roam  onward,  pity! 
Long  I  roamed  from  town  to  city. 
Wish  I  were  in  steady  camping. 
Pity  Fate's  mysterious  dower 
Leaves,  to  such  as  I,  no  power 
But  the  urge  for  further  tramping. 
Whither?    Whither?     Whither? 
Far  echoes  answer  low: 
Whither?     Whither?     Whither? 
O  Fate,  where  must  I  go? 
Whither?     Whither?     Whither? 

Alas,  there  is  no  one  to  soothe  my  heart  forecasting 
Where  may  be  found  the  couch  of  blessed,  peaceful 
resting. 

Hark,  the  whistle !    Trains  are  starting, 

Once  again  I  am  departing: 

Somehow,  someway,  somewhere  from  hence. 

Pictures  pass  in  quick  succession 

Leaving  memory  impression 

But  no  mark  for  future  guidance. 

*  This  series  of  songs  is  being  set  to  music  and  is  to  be  pub- 
lished in  folio  by  the  composer,  James  Kedves.  Numbers 
marked  with  an  asterisk,  having  been  issued  as  sheet  music 
already,  may  be  ordered  through  the  Co-operative  Publishing 
Company,  Inc. 

453 


454  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Why  so?    Why  so?     Why  so? 
Far-sounding  echoes  call: 
Why  so?    Why  so?     Why  so? 
O  Fate,  thou  dost  appall. 
Why  so?    Why  so?     Why  so? 

Alas,  there  is  no  one  to  soothe  my  heart  forecasting, 
How  can  be   found  the   couch   of  blessed,  peaceful 
resting. 


UNISON 


At  the  home  of  Mrs.  Hearty 

There  is  quite  a  jolly  party ; 

Sparkling  glasses,  sparkling  spirit, 

E^ch  with  something  crimson  in  it. 

Sentiments  flow  gay  and  witty 

Ending  in  approvals  ditty: 

So  may  it  be,  so  shall  it  be, 

We  all  agree,  quite  merrily. 

We  all  construe  it  being  due. 

So  may  this  wish  of  ours  come  true. 

2 

"Here  is  to  the  graceful  maiden 
Who  with  gestures  charm  laden. 
Shining  looks  and  sayings  witty 
Captured  my  heart !    Would  this  ditty 
Should  have  something  in  it  written 
So  that  she  were  with  me  'smitten'." 
So  may  it  be  (etc.). 


FROM   SUNRISE   TO   SUNDOWN      455 

3 

"Here  is  to  my  dear  ol'  lady 
And  the  rest:  our  youngest  baby 
And  our  grown-up  sons  and  daughters — 
May  each  navigate  the  waters 
Of  life,  having  worthy  aims  and 
Full  success  in  their  attainment." 
So  may  it  be  (etc.). 

4 
"Here  is  to  our  blessed  country ; 
Blessed  by  nature  with  its  bounty ; 
Blessed  by  every  inhalation 
For  the  welfare  of  the  nation. 
Growing  alway,  fading  never 
May  our  country  bloom  forever." 
So  may  it  be  (etc.). 

5 

What  do  you  say,  Mrs.  Hearty? 
"Oh,  I  wish  this  uni-party 
Grew  in  numbers  and  importance, 
Ever  nursing  sweet  accordance. 
So  each  being  and  each  nation 
Live  in  love  with  all  creation." 
So  may  it  be  (etc.). 


456  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

LOVE'S    LONGING* 


High  above  throughout  the  vaulted  heavens,  there 

Hosts  of  splendid  stars  are  shining,  but  a  pair, 

Glory  shedding  stars  illuminate  the  skies 

Of  my  mind:  your  lovely,  charming  eyes. 

Unto   you,   oh,   bright-souled   sweetheart,   float   my 

pleas : 
Life  without  you  holds  for  me  no  joy  nor  peace; 
Life  without  you  leaves  my  heart  to  wilt  and  fray, 
All  forsaken,  lonely  pine  away. 
Hear  its  beat,  hear  it  plead: 
Come,  my  longing  love  to  meet 
Oh,  come  where  grows  Love's  sweet  red  rose 
And  its  full-scented  blessing  blows. 


In  the  seashore's  solitude  at  early  dawn 

Sprays  are  cooling,  but  my  heart  still  bumeth  on; 

From  it  glowing  thoughts  are  surging  forth  to  find 

Only  you  your  image  in  my  mind. 

Lo,  the  ocean  waves  forever  sing  a  tune 

Of  eternal  love  between  the  Earth  and  Moon — 

Ocean  waves  grow  tall,  then  break,  and  watching,  I 

Feel  my  heart's  impassioned  waves  run  high 

Hear  its  beat,  hear  it  plead:  come,  my  longing  love 

to  meet: 
Oh,  come  where  grows  Love's  sweet  red  rose; 
Where  its  full-scented  blessing  blows. 


FROM  SUNRISE  TO  SUNDOWN   457 

EVERY  DUTY  IN  DUE  ORDER* 

1 

Every  duty  in  due  order — 

First  the  center  works  and  then  the  border 

Must  be  well  attended. 

When,  at  Springtide  feelings  vernal 

Fill  the  heart,  it,  by  the  skies  eternal, 

Must  needs  feel  enchanted. 

2 

Tongues  are  busy  wagging,  galling 

With  a  wild  urge  hither,  thither  calling, 

On  divers  occasions; 

But,  my  heartstrings  answer  only 

To  the  sweet  touch  of  the  One  and  Only 

Dear-faced  inspiration. 

FACTORY    ROMANCE 

1 

Budding  time  is  everywhere  when  Winter  wanes; 
Not  alone  the  wooded  shores  and  country  lanes 
Feel  the  coursing  sap  of  life.     When  it  is  Spring, 
Trees  in  city  streets  are  also  showing  forth 
All  the  lustrous  green  that  earth  and  air  is  worth ; 
Here,  too,  on  the  boughs  enamored  robins  sing; 
Nor  remain  the  walls  of  yonder  factory  bare. 
Brick  and  stone  put  on  their  ivy  dress  and  there, 
Just  in  back  a  window  box  filled  as  can  be 
With  fine  flowers,  tarries  my  sweet  busy  bee. 


458  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 


Hurry  to  the  zenith  of  your  course,  O  Sun! 
Anxiously  I  wait  for  noon  to  see  the  One 
Keeper  of  my  Heart — 0  Rose,  did  you  succeed? 
Crimson  rose,  my  messenger  of  yester  eve. 
Have  you  gained  that  which  I  sent  you  to  achieve? 
Said  you  all  that  faithful  loving  hearts  can  plead? — 
Noon  at  last !    Good  simple  folks  in  midday  flow. 
Busy  fashion,  stream  from  out  the  factory.     Lo, 
My  rose  is  worn! — Red  rose,  on  pink  peekaboo, 
Cast  upon  the  whole  wide  world  a  rosy  hue. 

3 

Since  that  fateful  answer  at  the  factory  gate 
Labor's  task  and  duties'  burden  lost  their  weight. 
Aye,  the  very  stars  shine  brighter  than  they  gleamed, 
Birds  upon  the  treetop  sing  a  sweeter  note 
Than  the  greatest  music  masters  ever  wrote; 
All  the  world  is  fairer  than  before.     What  seemed 
Secrets  open  as  by  magic ;  in  the  mind 
Thousand  questions  are  allayed  or  answer  find. 
Obscure  flowers  spread  their  bloom  in  colors  bright. 
Love  is  strength  and  love  is  joy  and  love  is  light. 


HOME    FOUNDING 

1 

Twice  I  journeyed  round  the  planet 
Well,  of  tramping  I  was  granted 
Quite  enough !    I  found  all  over 
Skies  are  blue  and  green  the  clover. 


FROM   SUNRISE    TO    SUNDOWN       459 

Nor  does  it  very  much  matter 
How  the  paths  run  or  the  weather — 
In  a  house  with  well-filled  pantry 
One  can  always  act  gallantly. 

Fogs  of  adventure-dreams  clear  away 

Here  opportunity  calls  to  stay. 

2 

Say,  you  patch  of  might-be- farm, 
I  need  you,  you  need  my  arm. 
Plowing,  spading,  hoeing  no  less 
Than  recurrent  weeding  process 
All,  including  noonday  sandwich, 
Speak  a  universal  language. 
On  a  place  the  Loved  One  pleaseth, 
All  of  doubt  and  strangeness  ceaseth. 
Sounds  of  the  will-o'-wisp  die  away, 
Now  opportunity  calls  to  stay. 

3 

Where  the  field  is  open,  Labor 
Makes  an  ally  of  each  neighbor. 
Where  one's  work  brings  fruit  in  season 
There  one's  country  is!     Where  reason 
May  abide  by  its  own  finding, 
Hope  is  on  the  job  of  guiding 
Lonely  souls  to  sweet  relation 
Intertwined  through  all  the  nation. 
Luring  old  fantasies  fade  away, 
For  opportunity  calls  to  stay. 


460  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 


SOMETIMES    I    FEAR 

1 

Fellows  live  across  the  sky-way 
Oft  I  fear  one  will  invent  a 
Telescope  with  ultra  powers, 
Through  it  see  you  'midst  your  flowers. 

2 

Charmed,  the  inventive  hero, 
He  will  build  a  cannon-airo; 
Shooting  through  the  listless  ether. 
He  with  speed  will  travel  hither. 

3 

Then,  before  your  door  alighting. 
Through  a  mystical  igniting 
Of  some  spark,  prevail!     Oh,  ban  it — 
And  conduct  you  off  this  planet. 

4 

Still  I  faint  not,  force  magnetic 
That  in  your  sphere  keeps  me  static 
Will  propel  me  in  your  traces 
Throughout  interstellar  spaces. 


FROM   SUNRISE    TO    SUNDOWN       461 
BUILD    A    NEST 


A  message  comes  floating  from  out  the 

Far-distant  past,  all  through  the  throng 

Of  ages ;  a  fatherly  warning 

Most  insistent  and  stern  and  strong: 

Remember,  the  head  must  stand  hostage 

For  any  and  all  of  the  song 

The  heart  in  its  innermost  chanteth. 

And  pray  ye  in  whatever  tongue 

Expect  not  the  blessing  from  on  high 

Unless  ye  faithfully  labor  along! 

Chorus 

So  reward  sustaining  soil 

Our  intentions  as  we  toil; 

And,  in  place  that  non-use  litters. 

Soon  a  pleasant  homestead  glitters — 

Furrows  filled  with  graceful,  winning 

Greenery  greet  in  thanksgiving 

Each  beholder.     Let's  be  going, 

Song  in  heart  a-planting,  sowing. 

Should  some  of  the  seeds  not  come  up  true  to 

name. 
Surely  we  will  love  each  other  just  the  same. 

2 

From  out  a  great  medley  of  voices 
One  soundeth  forth,  not  of  command 
But  kind  as  a  bosom  friend's  pleading 
And  soft  as  a  dear  mother's  hand: 


462  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

Whatever  the  state  that  j^ou  hail  from 

Remember  the  good  that  it  lent — 

Whatever  the  rumblings  around  ye 

Hope  on  for  the  very  best  and 

Wherever  the  soil  sustains  ye 

With  loving  and  loyal  care  nurture  the  land. 

Choeus 
Grapevine-covered  little  arbor 
What  of  joy  can  it  not  harbor? 
Tiny  house  of  smallest  measure 
Offers  room  for  lots  of  pleasure 
Loads  of  love  and  tons  of  kissing — 
What  on  Earth  can  here  be  missing? 
Here  we  may  have,  damp  or  sunny 
Weather,  hives  of  beeless  honey — 
Yes  or  no,  some  fairy  comes  for  us  to  name 
Surely,  we  will  love  each  other  just  the  same. 

PERHAPS    YOU    KNOW    NOT 

1 

Perhaps  you  know  not  of  this,  sweetheart,  dear: 
Once,  in  my  sadness,  people  thought  me  queer; 
I  raved  not,  then  they  thought  that  I  was  mere 
Soft  clay;  not  minding  still,  they  thought  me  dead 
And  laid  me  out  upon  the  dreary  bier. 

2 

Perhaps  I  was  beyond  life,  yet  its  prize 

Was  nearing — you  with  love's  wand  in  your  eyes, 

The  wand  which  blessingly  electrifies 

Shed  sparks  as  gorgeous  as  the  lily's  bloom. 

And  did  I  wake?     Oh,  yes,  in  paradise. 


FROM   SUNRISE   TO    SUNDOWN      463 

3 

Or  this  or  that  for  which  the  pious  pray — 
Than  seeing  by  love's  flame  and  with  a  lay 
Attuned  by  love  to  greet  or  March  or  May, 
Vibrating  by  the  touch  of  love,  there  can 
Be  no  more  joy-filled  resurrection  day. 

CRADLE    SONG* 

1 

Sleep,  darling  sleep,  in  restful  peace,  the  golden 
Sunrays  of  day  now  elsewhere  are  beholden ; 
Here  slumber  streaming  shines  the  silvery  Moon. 
Sleep,  darling  sleep,  let  pleasing  dreams  unfolden 
While  nightly  stillness  lisps  its  lilting  tune. 

2 

In  dreamland  groves  'midst  fancy  and  illusion 

Real  flowers  also  mature  in  profusion; 

And  whoso  loveth  what  is  good  and  true 

May  breathe  their  essence  through  the  day's  volution. 

May  own  the  finest  rose  that  dreamland  grew. 

8 

Most  dreamland  paths  with  roses  are  abounding 
Yet  try  to  pluck  one  and  there  comes,  dismounting, 
A  fairy  guard  who  questions:  "Is  it  fair?" 
For  only  such  may  leave  the  dream  surrounding 
And  waft  its  fragrance  sweet  in  daylit  air. 

4 

Sleep,  darling  sleep,  in  peaceful  rest  a  deeming 
Each  moment's  time  a  flower  field  of  dreaming; 
Where  scent  of  kindHness  and  love's  perfume 
Pervades  the  soul  so  that  tomorrow's  beaming 
Sunrays  will  see  the  finest  sweetest  bloom. 


464  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 


GOSSIP    TOWN 

1 

Gossip  Town  is  all  aflutter 
Fearing  that  my  soul  will  suffer 
Just  because  I  did  not  marry 
So  to  suit  Tom,  Dick  and  Harry 
But  escaped  their  grins  and  chiding- 
Went  for  a  while  into  hiding. 

2 

Gossip  Town  is  all  astutter 
Fearing  that  your  soul  will  suffer 
Just  because  you  did  not  query 
For  a  settlement — to  marry 
One  whose  love  unfathomable 
For  you,  to  feel,  you  were  able. 

3 

Gossip  Town  is  all  asputter 
Saying  that  our  souls  will  suffer — 
Let  them  putter,  mutter,  stutter. 
Ours  the  honey  and  the  butter! 
Never  yet  cared  doves  acooing 
For  the  midnight  owl's  hoohooing. 


FROM   SUNRISE   TO   SUNDOWN      465 


TROUBLED    WORLD* 

1 

Troubled  world!     Was  ever  trouble 

Quite  so  bleak  and  blighting? 

Overnight  a  dozen  nations 

Whirled  into  fighting. 

Earth  is  overcast  with  sorrow, 

Fields  with  pain  and  aching; 

And  the  skies  are  underspread  with 

Sighs  of  hearts  abreaking. 

Friendly  airs  swept  into  hiding 

Leave  the  meadows  seared,  bare  and  unscented. 

Still,  O  Love,  my  soul  clings  to  you 

And  will  cling  until  that  life  has  ended. 

2 

Life  at  end,  friends,  cast  my  ashes 

Far,  into  deep  waters. 

No  more  room  for  weeping  willows. 

Mounds,  tombstones  and  psalters — 

No  more  room !    If  there  would  be  space 

For  life ;  Sunshine,  greeting 

This  Earth,  would  set  joy  exultant 

Instead  trouble  seething. 

Pleasing,  friendly  airs  in  hiding 

Leave  the  hillsides  seared,  bare  and  unscented. 

Still,  O  Love,  my  soul  clings  to  you 

And  will  cling  until  that  life  has  ended. 


466  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 


FAREWELL 

1 

Never  yet,  never  yet,  never  yet,  never  yet 
Favored  Life  anyone,  but  also  Sorrow  met. 
However  gracefully  years  were  faced,  faith  and  deed 
Ever  so  valiant,  in  the  end  sorrowful 
Parting  leaves  nothing  but  head  to  bow,  heart  to 
bleed. 

2 

When  the  blue-vaulted   sky  gathered  more  than  it 

may 
Hold   of  the  Misty  Damp   cosmic   flood-gates   give 

way; 
Overcharged  clouds  will  burst,  heavy  fraught  skies 

may  break 
But  the  bereaved  heart,  sorrowful,  desolate, 
Must  keep  abeating  on  feeding  on  its  own  ache. 
Fare  thee  well,  parting  friend,  fare  thee  fair;  after 

all. 
Thin  is  the  parting  line,  thin  and  exceeding  small. 
Love,  it  cannot  forget  and  so  the  canopy 
Of  heaven,  where  kind  deeds  of  life  sustainingly  glow. 
Will  ever  be  lit  up  in  your  dear  memory. 


FROM   SUNRISE   TO   SUNDOWN       467 


SHINE,    MORNING    STAR 

1 

Shine,  morning  star,  crown  jewel  of  the  night. 
Your  splendor  sets  my  wavering  heart  aright. 
In  wonderment  I  searched  the  Milky  Way, 
But  moonlike  Venus  heraldeth  the  day — 
My  Love,  a  fair  day's  work,  a  good  night's  rest 
Grant  unto  me  ye  stars  and  count  me  blest. 

2 

Shine,  evening  star,  the  reel  of  day  is  spent; 
Whatever  scenes  upon  life's  screen  have  meant, 
O  Jupiter,  you  stud  the  heaven's  lore 
Enchantingly  resplendent  as  of  yore — 
Some  friends,  a  fair  day's  work,  a  good  night's  rest 
Grant  unto  me,  ye  stars,  and  count  me  blest. 

HYMN    OF   LABOR* 

1 

The  sighing  stage  of  labor's  upward  longing 
Has  run  its  course  and  cannot  bear  prolonging; 
By  bolder  means  of  its  own  engineering 
The  toiling  multitude  commands  a  hearing. 
It  will  be  heard  respectfully  and  heeded 
For  toilers'  brain  has  grown,  yet  brawn  is  needed. 
And  none  so  high  but  may  be  found  appealing 
To  labor's  wakened  force  for  fellow-feeling. 

Oh,  Labor,  yours  the  work  of  world  redemption 
From  misery.     No  tongue  can  count  by  mention 


468  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

All  saviors  who  Calvary  ascended 

To  blot  out  slavery.     Their  spirits  blended 

Into  a  sun  which  keeps  our  heaven  lighted 

In  promise  that  what  is  wrong  will  be  righted. 

Let  hand  and  head  and  heart  in  league  be  striving 

For  one  grand  hope,  its  great  day  will  be  rising. 


The  task  of  labor  must  have  been  imparted 
To  make  the  human  soul  creative  hearted, 
To  know  the  worth  of  effort  and  the  glory 
In  parts  of  work  and  in  its  finished  story ; 
To  have  a  code  of  fairness  sans  mutation 
Judging  thereby  each  land  and  generation ; 
For  not  a  monument  the  landscape  guildeth 
But  most  commemorates  its  very  builders. 

Oh,  Labor,  by  your  wand  the  Earth  blooms  sweeter. 
No  fruit  so  distant  but  you  bring  it  hither, 
Your  note  is  present  in  the  poet's  singing, 
Your  music  rings  from  out  the  hammers  swinging, 
From  out  the  savants'  book  your  splendor  shineth. 
Fine   art  smiles   forth  from  clay  your  faith  en- 

shrineth — 
If  hand  and  head  and  heart  in  league  be  gaining. 
We  come  abreast  our  best  and  highest  aiming. 

3 

What  is  the  tyrant's  quest.?     It  is  the  taking 
In  ease  what  labor  sweats  for  in  the  making. 
What  is  the  tyrant's  fear.?     The  sudden  losing 
What  workers  were  at  ages  in  producing; 
But  whoso  chooseth  labor  for  reliance 
Need  never  seek  to  rule,  nor  meet  defiance. 


FROM   SUNRISE    TO    SUNDOWN       469 

Raised  by  its  sunlight,  souls  become  the  major 

And  really  grand  nobility  of  nature. 

This  is  our  solace,  when  in  sorrow's  raiment: 
Naught  is  beyond  the  working  world's  attainment ; 
Naught   stands    amiss,   placed   between   man   and 

neighbor, 
But  can  be  set  right  by  sufficient  labor. 
Oh,  hand  and  head  and  heart  of  toilers,  speed  on 
In  league,  to  make  this  Earth  a  wished-for  Eden 
And,  crowning  all  your  efforts  at  creation, 
Create  a  happy  state  for  your  own  station. 

FALL-TIME    HOURS 

1 

Blow,  Fall  winds,  blow !  the  foliage  withering  chill 
Mars  not  the  orchards'  plum  with  purple  sealed. 
The  glory  that  the  Summer's  Sun  revealed 
Can  never  be  unlighted;  blow  as  will. 
My  gathered  fruit  defies  wind,  makes  it  nil. 
For  one  endeared  in  Springtide's  vibrant  yield, 
Tried,  brave  and  true  throughout  devotion's  field, 
With  every  day  is  growing  dearer  still. 
Time  flies,  but  ever  leaves  behind  its  gain 
Enhancing  value  of  years  that  remain. 
Blest  are  who  know  the  boon  of  growing  old — 
Your  steps,  less  firm,  aim  better;  on  your  face 
The  wrinkles  vanish  in  the  glow  of  grace ; 
Your  hair  turns  silver,  but  your  heart  beats  gold. 

2 

Behold  the  garden  real  and  vision's  fair 
Land !    Multitude  of  plants  grew  in  the  wake 
Of  our  efforts  with  the  spade  and  rake — 


470  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

What  of  the  hopes  we  always  nurtured?    There, 

Throughout  the  Gardens  of  the  Future,  rare 

Fine  blossoms  grow  so  common  as  to  make 

The  fairies  rush  to  it  from  dell  and  lake 

When  seeking  for  the  most  delightful  air. 

If  there  are  grander  hopes,  let  them  be  graced 

By  souls  that  more  of  right  and  truth  have  traced 

In  the  Eternal  Book ;  but  you  and  I 

Can  meet  the  reaper  fearless,  faith  begirt; 

And,  with  the  vision  of  a  happy  Earth 

Before  the  waning  spirit,  smiling  die. 


NEIGHBORLINESS  * 

Neighbor  Clara,  down  one  floor, 
Please  to  shut  your  kitchen  door. 
Your  Domestic  Science  daughter 

Eleanor 
Makes  a  fellow's  palate  water 

Aft  and  for. 
Neighbor  Clara,  down  one  floor! 

Neighbor  Dennis,  up  one  flight. 
Am  not  sorry  for  your  plight; 
As  you  preach  renunciation. 

Serves  you  right — 
Feed  your  nose  that  sort  of  ration 

For  delight. 
Neighbor  Dennis,  up  one  flight ! 


FROM   SUNRISE   TO   SUNDOWN      471 


THREE    LEAVES 

1 

Fall  winds  sweep  the  hilly  woodland  yonder, 

Three  leaves  blew  upon  my  hat;  I  wonder, 

In  the  light  of  Fall-time's  mellow  gleaming, 

What  may  be  their  nature  given  meaning — 

One  is  strangely  tender,  thin  of  fiber. 

Soft  in  center,  edges  curly; 

It  is  like  the  deeds  of  early 

Youth,  hard  to  decipher. 

Looking  at  the  second  leaf,  I  ponder: 

Large  and  smooth  and  strong  and  wiry. 

Must  have  been  a  furious,  fiery 

Gust  that  it  fell  under. 

Withered,  sapless,  dry,  the  third  leaf  trembles, 

As  a  heart  crushed  by  death's  pallor; 

Naught  to  live  by,  naught  to  live  for, 

Naught  that  may  some  life  resemble. 

2 

Near  my  couch  a  little  desk  is  nestling, 
In  its  drawer  three  notebooks  are  resting. 
As  the  spirit  moves  or  moods  may  soften 
I  reach  for  these  notebooks  once  so  often. 
One  is  of  the  past  a  glowing  story 
Of  forth  bubbling,  boldly  mounted. 
Youthful  faith  the  never  daunted. 
Earth's  redeeming  glory. 
In  the  second  notebook  are  recorded 
Bitter  lessons,  pleasant  measures. 
All  the  pains  and  all  the  pleasures 
Latter  times  afforded. 


472  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

But  the  third  book — that  I  will  not  open ; 
It  is  future's  veiled  dictation, 
Maybe  lonely  meditation, 
Mind-enshrouded  and  heart-broken. 


THE    SOUL    AT    PEACE 

1 

Curly  Peter  often  wondered 

Why  this  world  so  tardy 

Would  not  change  its  ways  according 

To  a  certain  party — 

Nothing  would  pass  with  him  muster, 

Even  grapes  were  inefficient; 

Too  few  berries  in  a  cluster, 

Too  long  time  to  ripen  rightly. 

So  he  argued  and  corrected; 

Finally  he  was  elected 

For  the  chiefest  Most  Eminent 

Council's  limitless  empowered 

Manager  Almighty. 

2 

Curly  Peter  started  on  his 

Work  of  world  reforming — 

Then  he  found  that  many  cross-heads 

Had  a  say  each  morning. 

Try  he  did  to  stave  off  crises. 

Oh,  he  talked  himself  to  tatters 

In  explaining  his  devices, 

After  as  before  election. 

In  orations,  never  ending, 

He  held  forth,  his  ways  defending. 


FROM    SUNRISE   TO    SUNDOWN       473 

Yet  he  could  not  settle  matters 
So  as  would  please  everybody, 
All  without  exception. 


Insurrection  raised  its  specter, 

Mutinies  without  end. 

So  it  came  that  Curly  Peter 

Asked  to  be  disburdened 

Of  his  office.     Still,  Old  Nature 

Went  along  to  show  with  fervor 

What  it  means  a  grape  to  nurture, 

Counting  rays  and  minutes  keenly — 

Whosoever  meets  the  charges 

In  a  gallant  mood  enlarges 

His  own  soul  and  may  endeavor, 

Hope  and  strive  and  work  and  build,  all 

Joyous   and  serenely. 


REMEMBRANCE 

1 

When  springtime  shone  with  youthful  radiant  glamor 
We  built  a  goodly  vessel,  strong-keeled,  sterling; 
In  it  we  sailed,  through  many  years'  endeavor. 
With  single  purpose,  love  each  day  affirming. 
The  path  lies  yet  before  us,  broad  and  gay. 
And  full  of  hope  we  scan  it  through  our  lens ; 
Still,  sometime  I  must  reach  a  harbor  whence 
There  is  no  turning  back.     Against  that  day, 

0  sweetheart  mine,  of  many  quick-flo^Ti  years, 

1  pray  you  do  not  shed  too  many  tears  .  .  . 


474  SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE 

If  moods  grow  heavy,  dark  and  sorrow  blended, 

And  that  which  is  would  wilt  for  what  had  been — 

Look  at  the  trees  we  had  together  planted. 

Or  view  the  stars  we  knew  while  love  enchanted 

And  heart  to  heart  we  watched  the  heaven's  sheen. 

On  leaves,  in  stars,  you'll  find  the  reading 

Of  this  my  heart- felt  wish  and  pleading: 

The  memory  of  me  shall  not  weigh,  but  lighten. 

If  it  arise,  may 

Remembrance  of  me  serve  your  days  to  brighten. 


Frail  threads  of  life !     If  Fates  decree  some  morning 

That  one  entwined  with  my  own  must  be  broken, 

I  shall  eschew  the  bitter  bread  of  mourning 

By  turning  to  the  past.     I  shall  reopen 

A  store-house  filled  in  happy  by-gone  days. 

And  conjure  up  old  blessings,  one  by  one ; 

Your  favored  books,  your  art,  your  garden-fun ; 

Your  loving  care  expressed  in  thousand  ways — 

And  then  your  very  image  will  appear 

Amidst  the  flowers  you  have  held  so  dear; 

Your  pleasing  word  will  ring  in  sweet  agreement. 

Your  kindly  hand  fell  weights  from  off  me  roll; 

And  as  you  daily  help  in  my  achievement. 

So  will  your  likeness  assuage  my  bereavement. 

So  wiU  the  thought  of  you  sustain  my  soul! 

In  turn  I  ask  from  heart's  deep  chamber 

This  fervent  wish  of  mine  remember: 

The  memory  of  me  shall  not  weigh,  but  lighten, 

If  it  arise,  may 

Remembrance  of  me  serve  your  days  to  brighten. 


LITERARY  PLATFORM 
of  the  CO-OPERATIVE 
PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

Incorporated 

EXTRACTS    FROM    CERTIFICATE    OF    INCORPORATION: 

OBJECT 

"To  associate  literary  and  kindred  producers  for  promoting 
mental  effort  in  furtherance  of  social  welfare  and  individual 
attainment  by  eniploying  all  helpful  means  to  that  end;  especial- 
ly* by  publishing  and  distributing  works  of  proven  merit  (re- 
gardless of  divergent  views  and  financial  considerations)  on  a 
co-operative  basis — thus  practicing  tolerance  at  the  source  of 
opinion,  providing  an  open  door  to  the  world  of  letters  and 
securing  an  unobstructed  avenue  to  the  universe  of  thought." 

MUTUALITY 

"Whenever  several  works  of  equal  merit  and  timeliness  re- 
quire publication  and  moneys  at  disposal,  including  reserve 
fund,  are  not  sufficient  to  finance  them  all,  the  advantage  of 
priority  shall  be  determined  by  drawing  lot  for  the  same." 

INPRIMATUR 

"In  contradistinction  to  imprimaturs  denoting  the  sale  of 
the  writer's  work  to  a  publisher,  'Co-operative  Publishing 
Company,  Incorporated*  signifies  that  a  person,  besides  devot- 
ing thought,  energy  and  time  to  a  task,  must  also  spend  money 
to  place  his  or  her  work  into  the  hands  of  the  reader;  (also,  that 
the  author  retains  full  interest  in  the  production).  We  propose  to 
turn  the  additional  handicap  or  difficulty  into  a  lever  of  recom- 
mendation by  the  quality  of  books  bearing  imprint  of  this  Com- 
pany. As  an  initial  safeguard,  a  work  to  be  published  must  re- 
ceive the  approval  of  at  least  five  persons  who  have  had  books 
published  or  have  work  ready  for  publication.  Such  approval 
need  not  be  an  indorsement  of  Ideas  and  Sentiments  (in  that 
respect  the  author  alone  being  responsible)  but  only  an  opinion 
that  the  work  approved  partakes  of  social  service  and  that  it 
possesses  literary  merit." 

DURATION 

"The  existence  of  this  corporation  shall  terminate  when  the 
principle  underlying  it  is  legislated  into  being  throughout  the 
nation  and  the  activities  engaged  in  devolve  upon  governmental 
agencies." 

If  interested  as  author  or  patron  address  for  particulars: 

CO-OPERATIVE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY,   INC. 

BRIDGEPORT,  CONNECTICUT 


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Jflai      O-f      'f/^'^- 

ilAN    kl   193b 

m    ^.3  1939 

LD  21-95m-7,'37 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


